BSF trooper Sugam Choudhary, who went missing from his battalion headquarters in Panthachowk, Srinagar, was traced in Delhi while traveling to his home in Uttar Pradesh without official permission. A missing report had been filed, prompting a large-scale search by BSF and local police across Srinagar, including bus stands and railway stations. Officials confirmed there was no subversive angle, but a departmental inquiry will be initiated to investigate the unauthorized absence.
The incident comes amid heightened security in Jammu and Kashmir following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 civilian lives. Security forces have since intensified anti-terror operations, culminating in the elimination of three Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in Dachigam National Park on July 28 under ‘Operation Mahadev’. Forces continue to target terrorist networks and their local support systems across the region.