J&K Police arrest key aide in Pahalgam terror attack case

Katari’s arrest follows a forensic analysis of weapons and equipment recovered during Operation Mahadev in July, when security forces tracked down and neutralised three terrorists, including the alleged mastermind Suleiman Shah alias Hashim Musa.

Sources told NDTV that Katari will be produced in court and remanded to judicial custody. Officials described this as the first major breakthrough since Operation Mahadev, underlining the government’s determination to dismantle all networks linked to the Pahalgam killings.

A faction of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had claimed responsibility for the massacre.

Operation Mahadev

The massive counter-terror operation began on May 22 after intelligence inputs pointed to terrorists hiding in Dachigam, near Srinagar.

Security forces intercepted encrypted communications on China-made devices, eventually tracking the group.

On July 28, a drone confirmed their location, after which the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Forces launched the assault. By 12.45 pm, all three gunmen were eliminated.

Among them was Shah, a former commando in the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group, who later joined LeT under UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

Shah, who infiltrated India in September 2023, had been linked to multiple deadly attacks, including the killing of seven civilians in October 2024 and the Baramulla ambush that left four security personnel dead.

The J&K Police had earlier announced a ₹20 lakh reward for information on him.