KISHTWAR: Two Special Police Officers (SPOs), who went missing while on duty in the remote Dachhan-Marwah area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, were found dead on Thursday. Their service weapons are also missing, raising suspicion of a possible militant involvement.
The deceased have been identified as Rashpal Kumar (40) and Bobby Chand (54), residents of Kiyar village in the Dachhan area. Both were part of the Kishtwar police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and were deployed in the Kiyar sector.
According to officials, the two personnel had been assigned duty at a temporary operating base (TOB) of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles in the Dherna area of Marwah. They went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp in Kiyar to the Army post and failed to report for duty.
A search operation was launched immediately after their disappearance was reported. After several hours of searching, their bodies were recovered from the Dherna post on Thursday.
Preliminary information suggests that one officer had sustained a gunshot wound to the head, while the other had injuries to his back.
The disappearance of their service weapons has raised concerns among security agencies, which suspect a possible militant angle. Security forces have intensified operations in the area as investigations continue to establish the circumstances surrounding the killings.
