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| Interpol notice against Hizbul commander behind 2013 Sopore Police ambush | | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, July 11: More than 12 years after four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel were killed in a deadly terrorist ambush in north Kashmir’s Sopore, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir has secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against the alleged mastermind of the attack, marking a major breakthrough in the long-pending investigation.
The SIA on Saturday announced that Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander who is believed to have fled to Pakistan after orchestrating the April 26, 2013, terror attack at Peer Mohalla in Hygam, Sopore.
Kandoo, also known by the aliases Fayaz and Sajad, is the prime accused in the ambush in which four police personnel were killed after terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on a police patrol. The attack was one of the deadliest strikes on security forces in north Kashmir at the time.
The case remained unresolved for several years before it was transferred to the SIA Kashmir in 2024 for a fresh and comprehensive investigation.
According to officials, the agency conducted an extensive probe by examining witnesses, analysing forensic and technical evidence, tracing the weapons used in the attack, and reconstructing the sequence of events that led to the ambush. The investigation culminated in the filing of a chargesheet before a trial court in July 2024 against six accused.
Of the six accused, Tariq Ahmad Mir of Handwara and Qayoom Najar of Sopore were later killed in separate encounters with security forces. Three others—Javid Ahmad Mattoo, Rouf Najar, and Ahmadullah Malla—were arrested and are currently facing trial. Kandoo remains the only absconding accused and is believed to have escaped to Pakistan to evade arrest.
A resident of Kraltang in Sopore, Kandoo allegedly joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2010 and later rose through the ranks to become one of the outfit’s commanders. The Union Government designated him an individual terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in October 2022.
The SIA said its investigation into the Hygam ambush also uncovered Kandoo’s alleged involvement in a broader network of terrorist activities. Besides the 2013 attack, he is wanted in at least ten other terror-related cases involving targeted killings, arms smuggling, and narco-terror financing. Officials said these cases are linked to the deaths of more than 15 people and the funding of terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The issuance of the Interpol Red Corner Notice is expected to strengthen international efforts to locate and apprehend Kandoo. While an RCN is not an international arrest warrant, it enables law enforcement agencies across Interpol member countries to identify, locate, provisionally detain, and facilitate extradition proceedings against wanted fugitives in accordance with their domestic laws.
Describing the development as a significant milestone, the SIA said the notice reflects the agency’s sustained efforts to pursue terrorists who have fled the country and underscores its commitment to bringing fugitives involved in terror crimes to justice through international cooperation.
The agency reiterated that it will continue to dismantle terrorist networks operating in and around Jammu and Kashmir and pursue absconding terrorists irrespective of where they attempt to hide. |
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