A suspected foreign-origin satellite communication signal detected in the remote forest area of Sumb in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district has triggered a high security alert. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation after an Iridium satellite communication device was reportedly detected in the area at around 11:15 am. The signal has since disappeared, and no further transmission has been detected.

Teams from the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) moved into the area soon after the signal was intercepted. Security personnel cordoned off the hilly terrain, which is surrounded by dense forest cover, and began searching the area for the device or any person who may have been using it.

Drones have been deployed to conduct aerial surveillance of the forest and surrounding hillocks, while security has been strengthened along routes leading to Sumb. The area lies along the Basantar River and provides access towards the International Border with Pakistan, making it strategically sensitive. The operation is being led by SOG DSP Sakshi Sharma and Samba SHO Pushpinder Singh Chib along with Army personnel and other security agencies.

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Iridium satellite phones are also used by Indian security forces for communication in remote and mountainous areas. However, officials are examining whether the intercepted device could have been used by an individual with possible links to cross-border handlers. Security sources said that no satellite phone or other suspicious material had been recovered despite several hours of searching.

Officials have not ruled out the possibility that a terrorist, over-ground worker or Pakistani intelligence operative could have been present in the area. Security agencies are also examining whether the device was switched off after communication was established, a possibility that could make tracking the user more difficult. Personnel continue to search the forested and hilly terrain as the operation remains underway.

The Samba sector has previously been treated as a sensitive area because of its proximity to the International Border and its history as an infiltration route. Security agencies have detected satellite communication devices in the region in the past as well. In January 2024, the detection of a Thuraya satellite phone in the same area also led to a security alert and search operation.

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