Terror Suspect Drowns in Kashmir
In a dramatic turn of events in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a 23-year-old man allegedly linked to terrorist activities drowned while attempting to escape security forces by leaping into a fast-flowing river.
The man, identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, was reportedly an overground worker (OGW) associated with the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). According to security sources, Magray had confessed to providing shelter and supplies to terrorists and had agreed to guide authorities to their hideouts following his arrest on Saturday.
Terror Suspect Drowns in Kashmir
But what was meant to be a breakthrough in the investigation took a tragic twist on Sunday.
As a joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Indian Army launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) in the dense forests of Tangmarg, Magray, under close drone surveillance, suddenly broke away from the group and jumped into the Vishaw Nallah river. A video circulating on social media shows him struggling against the river’s current before vanishing beneath the waters.
Terror Suspect Drowns in Kashmir
His body was later recovered downstream from the Adbal stream in the Aharbal area. The exact circumstances of the incident remain murky.
While police insist Magray attempted to escape via the river route, his family and several local leaders are not convinced. Allegations of foul play have surfaced, with family members claiming he died in custody.
Terror Suspect Drowns in Kashmir
Prominent Kashmiri leader and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti voiced serious concerns over the death. “Yet another body has been recovered from a river in Kulgam, raising serious allegations of foul play,” she said on X (formerly Twitter), adding that Magray was allegedly picked up by the army days before his body was found. She has demanded an impartial investigation.
Terror Suspect Drowns in Kashmir
The incident comes in the wake of one of the deadliest terror attacks in the region in recent years. On April 22, gunmen believed to be linked to the LeT’s shadow group The Resistance Front (TRF) opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam, killing at least 26 people, including foreign nationals. The TRF initially claimed responsibility but later distanced itself following global backlash.
