A 19-year-old youth from Reasi district, recently arrested from the Bathindi area of Jammu for suspected links with terrorists, was allegedly being radicalised by Pakistan-based handlers to carry out a suicide attack in the Jammu region, official sources have revealed.
The accused has been identified as Mohammad Sajid, a resident of Reasi who was currently living in Bathindi and preparing for the NEET examination. According to sources, Sajid was in regular contact with several youths based in Kashmir, Kishtwar, Nepal and other parts of the Union Territory. These individuals were reportedly part of a wider terror network operating under instructions from handlers across the border in Pakistan.
Sources said Sajid was directed through this network to collect explosive material from Kashmir with the intention of executing a suicide bombing in Jammu. However, before the plan could advance further, a joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Police Component Jammu arrested him on the evening of November 26, thereby foiling what is being described as a major terror plot.
Case Taken Over by SOG, UAPA Invoked
The investigation in FIR No. 331/2025, initially registered at Police Station Bahu Fort under Section 113(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), has now been taken over by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP)-led panel of the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
To facilitate a deeper and wider probe, provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have also been invoked, sources confirmed.
Encrypted Communication with Handlers
Investigators have learnt that Sajid had been in frequent contact with his handlers for nearly three months through encrypted platforms such as the Session app, besides WhatsApp and Instagram. Though no specific target had reportedly been assigned to him initially, he was allegedly asked to conduct surveillance of certain locations and was gradually indoctrinated to carry out the attack.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed that he was unaware of the grave legal and personal consequences of his actions.
Probe to Uncover Wider Network
The DySP-led SOG panel is currently probing multiple dimensions of the case, including identifying other individuals involved, tracing financial and logistical links, and uncovering the larger objectives and operational structure of the terror network behind the conspiracy.
Security agencies said further arrests and disclosures are expected as the investigation progresses.
