In a chilling midnight incident that has sent shockwaves across Jammu and Kashmir, three suspected terrorists boldly knocked on the door of a Bakerwal household in the remote Chingla-Balotha village of Udhampur’s Basantgarh area, demanding food. The brazen act, occurring in one of the most sensitive infiltration corridors of the Jammu division, instantly triggered panic and set off one of the largest search operations witnessed in the region in recent months.

The terrified house owner, upon realizing the danger, managed to flee under the cover of darkness and immediately alerted the nearest police post. Within hours, columns of the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and Central Reserve Police Force descended upon the upper reaches, transforming the serene mountainous hamlets into a high-alert security grid. The development confirmed earlier intelligence inputs about suspicious movement in the same forest belt, turning a routine vigil into an intense anti-terrorist manhunt.

Security officials revealed that the suspects are believed to have infiltrated from across the International Border through the nearby Kathua sector, using the treacherous Basantgarh-Doda-Kishtwar route—a notorious pathway exploited repeatedly by Pakistan-based terrorist outfits to push fresh cadres into the Kashmir Valley. The region’s dense forests, deep ravines, and high-altitude terrain provide perfect cover for infiltrating groups, making every reported sighting a matter of grave concern for counter-terrorism forces.

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The ongoing operation now spans several square kilometres of thickly wooded and rugged landscape, with specialist teams employing unmanned aerial vehicles, sniffer dogs, and night-vision equipment to track even the faintest trail left by the fleeing terrorists. Additional reinforcements have sealed all possible exit routes, while local villagers have been strictly instructed to remain indoors and report any unusual sound or movement immediately. Helicopters have been pressed into service for aerial surveillance as the search enters its second day.

As of Saturday, no contact has been established with the suspects, but security forces remain deployed in strength, determined to either neutralize the threat or ensure the complete sanitization of the area. With Basantgarh once again emerging as a flashpoint in Jammu’s counter-infiltration grid, the operation underscores the persistent challenge of terrorism in the region despite significant successes achieved by security forces in recent years.

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