In a major breakthrough in its sustained counterterrorism efforts, the State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir, has secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against designated Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorist Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, alias Fayaz, alias Sajad, marking a significant milestone in the investigation of the 2013 Tarzoo (Hygam) terrorist attack case.
The issuance of the Red Corner Notice is a testament to the painstaking and professional investigation carried out by SIA Kashmir, reflecting the agency’s commitment to ensuring that terrorists involved in heinous acts of violence are brought to justice irrespective of their location.
The notice will facilitate international law enforcement agencies in locating, detaining, and initiating legal proceedings for the extradition of the accused to India to face trial.
The case pertains to the terrorist ambush on 26 April 2013 at Peer Mohalla, Hygam, Sopore, where terrorists armed with automatic weapons attacked a police party, resulting in the martyrdom of four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel in one of the most serious terrorist strikes against security forces during that period. The case was initially registered at Police Station Tarzoo, Sopore, and it was transferred to SIA Kashmir in 2024 for a comprehensive investigation.
Following an extensive investigation involving meticulous collection and analysis of evidence, examination of witnesses, and reconstruction of the conspiracy, SIA Kashmir successfully completed the investigation, added more offenses on the basis of fresh evidence, and filed a comprehensive chargesheet before the competent trial court in July 2024 against six accused persons.
During the course of investigation and subsequent operations, two accused—Tariq Ahmad Mir of Kalamabad, Handwara and Qayoom Najarr of Batapora, Sopore—were eliminated in encounters with security forces, while Javid Ahmad Mattoo of Sopore, Rouf Najar of Sopore, and Ahmadullah Malla of Dalal Mohalla, Srinagar have been arrested and are facing trial. The sixth and the main accused, Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo is absconding and is believed to have exfiltrated to Pakistan.
A resident of Kraltang, Sopore, Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo has been an active member and commander of the proscribed terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen since 2010. Owing to his sustained involvement in terrorist activities, he was notified as a Designated Individual Terrorist by the Government of India in October 2022.
The investigation conducted by SIA Kashmir conclusively established Kandoo’s active and main role in the Hygam terrorist attack and uncovered his involvement in a wider network of terrorist activities. Besides the present case, he is wanted in at least ten more terror-related cases involving terrorist attacks; targeted killings resulting in the deaths of more than 15persons, arms and ammunition smuggling, and narco-terror financing.
Despite sustained efforts by law enforcement agencies, he had continued to evade arrest.
The successful issuance of the Interpol Red Corner Notice against such a terrorist is a significant operational and investigative achievement for SIA Kashmir. It underscores the agency’s growing capability in conducting complex terror investigations, bringing long-pending cases to a logical conclusion, pursuing fugitives across international jurisdictions, and leveraging global policing mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators of terrorism are held accountable.
SIA official said l this step is to dismantle terrorist ecosystems, pursue absconding terrorists and their support networks, and to ensure that those responsible for acts of terror are brought to justice through all available legal and international mechanisms.
