Jammu and Kashmir Police launched an aggressive public manhunt across Srinagar on Thursday, plastering high-traffic city squares with wanted posters of Kashmir's lone surviving local terrorist.
Officers pasted the notices across Pratap Park and the commercial core of Lal Chowk. The objective is direct: hunt down Mohammad Lateef Bhat. Bhat, a hardened Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative from south Kashmir's Kulgam district, carries an active ₹15 lakh cash bounty on his head. Four months after state forces first placed that price on him, counter-insurgency units are enlisting the civilian population to corner him.
Bhat slipped through multiple cordons over the past year. Police records accuse him of orchestrating the killing of a police officer in Anantnag and directing violent strikes against migrant workers in July 2026.
He remains the final local insurgent on active security agency registers inside the Valley.
The newly mounted banners also identify three North Kashmir operatives directing strikes from across the Line of Control. The trio—identified as Bilal Ahmad Mir, Mohammad Umar Mir, and Abid Qayoom Lone—all hail from Baramulla district. Intelligence officials confirmed that all three currently operate out of bases in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), coordinating logistic drops and funneling directives into the Valley.
Security agencies urge citizens to come forward with any credible information regarding the whereabouts or movement of these men. Informants will receive a suitable reward alongside guaranteed, absolute confidentiality.
Jammu and Kashmir Police, Public Security Notice
Security formations have turned public squares into focal points of counter-terror deterrence. The clampdown aims to squeeze out the final remnants of armed proxy networks across the Valley floor.
| Suspect / Operative | Affiliation & Origin | Allegations & Active Status | Reward / Bounty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Lateef Bhat (alias Abdul Latief) | Lashkar-e-Taiba (Kulgam, South Kashmir) | Accused in Anantnag officer killing; attacks on migrant workers | ₹15,00,000 |
| Bilal Ahmad Mir | LeT Network (Baramulla, North Kashmir) | Cross-border logistics; operating from PoJK | Under official review |
| Mohammad Umar Mir | LeT Network (Baramulla, North Kashmir) | Operational coordination; operating from PoJK | Under official review |
Police checkpoints across Srinagar, Anantnag, and Kulgam have heightened vehicle inspections and electronic surveillance, with field units acting on incoming civilian tip-offs as round-the-clock hotlines remain operational.
| Abid Qayoom Lone | LeT Network (Baramulla, North Kashmir) | Cross-border facilitation; operating from PoJK | Under official review |