Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested two persons in connection with the alleged murder of Special Police Officer (SPO) Bashir Ahmed, whose body was recovered from a pit in a forest stream in Kishtwar district on 16 October 2026. The arrests follow a swift multi-team search operation launched after the SPO was reported missing along with his service weapon on 15 October.

How the Case Unfolded

SPO Bashir Ahmed was reported missing from a police picket in Trigam on 15 October, along with his service weapon — an immediate red flag for security forces in the region. Police launched a coordinated search operation involving multiple teams across the Trigam forest area.

During the search on 16 October, teams first recovered the SPO's service weapon, and subsequently found his body buried in a pit in a stream in the Seran Wani area of Trigam forest. A case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to murder, was registered at Kishtwar Police Station.

The Accused and Their Arrest

Investigators identified two suspects during the course of the probe: Bashir Ahmed Dar, son of Abdul Aziz Dar, and Nazir Ahmed Dar, son of Bashir Ahmed Dar. Both men are residents of Seran Wani in Trigam — the same locality where the body was discovered — and were subsequently arrested by police.

Questioning of the accused reportedly revealed the motive and the conspiracy behind the killing. Based on their disclosures, police said they also recovered the weapon used in the crime and the belongings of the deceased. The police have not publicly disclosed the motive at this stage, and further investigation is underway.

Who Are Special Police Officers in J&K

Special Police Officers (SPOs) form an auxiliary, contractual force operating under the Jammu and Kashmir Police, originally constituted in 1995 to assist regular forces during the peak of militancy. They support anti-militancy operations, patrolling, area domination, and day-to-day policing duties as directed by local police stations and district Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs).

SPOs attend round-the-clock duties and also serve in support roles such as drivers for police units. Notably, standing orders prohibit their deployment as Personal Security Officers (PSOs) for protected persons, reflecting their defined and limited operational scope.

Broader Context

The killing of an on-duty SPO and the theft of a service weapon underscores the security vulnerabilities faced by auxiliary personnel in Kishtwar, a district that has periodically witnessed militant activity. This comes amid ongoing counter-insurgency operations across the Jammu region, where security forces have faced a series of attacks in recent months. The recovery of the weapon through the accused's disclosures is considered a significant operational success, preventing the weapon from potentially being passed to militant networks.