A CRPF personnel stands guard as tourists waiting for vehicle on the banks of Dal Lake on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: IMRAN NISSAR
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have started recording the statements of locals who reached the attack site to collect clues on the sequence of events around the Pahalgam terror attack.
Top police officers, including Inspector General of Police V.K. Birdi, camped in Pahalgam on Thursday. They interacted with officers of the CRPF and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The attack site, Baisaran, remained out of bounds for tourists. Security agencies continue to scan adjoining areas of Baisaran.
The J&K Police have released the sketches of three suspects, one local and two non-local terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), believed to be behind the Pahalgam attack. The police have announced a reward of ₹20 lakh to anyone who provides information about their whereabouts.
According to the police, Adil Hussain Thoker — a resident of Anantnag, Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, and Hashim Musa alias Suleiman, both Pakistan nationals, were involved in the terrorist attack.
Thoker, according to the police records, exfiltrated into Pakistan or Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in 2018. A Thoker-led group is believed to have been active for the past one year in the region.
The militants used automatic rifles to kill and injure around 44 civilians, mostly tourists. Twenty-five civilians and one local were killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, the tourist footfall remained affected in Pahalgam for the third consecutive day on Thursday. Most shops remained closed as a mark of protest against the attack.
Published – April 25, 2025 12:51 am IST
