Pahalgam terror attack | Man arrested for 'aiding' TRF terrorists with logistical support

Srinagar: Over four months after 26 people, including 25 tourists, were killed in the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, security agencies have arrested a man from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district for allegedly assisting the Pakistan-backed terrorist group, The Resistance Front (TRF).

Officials on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of Mohammad Yousuf Kataria (26), accusing him of providing logistical support to the attackers. Investigators said Kataria guided the militants through forested areas of Kulgam in the weeks leading up to the April 22 attack in Baisaran Valley, one of the deadliest incidents in Kashmir in recent years.

Sources said Kataria, who worked on a contractual basis and also taught children in his village, came into contact with the militants a few months before the attack and began facilitating their movements. His arrest follows forensic examination of weapons seized during Operation Mahadev, which linked them to the April attack.

The Pahalgam terror attack saw gunmen ambush a group of tourists near the popular Baisaran meadow, often called “Mini Switzerland,” firing indiscriminately on their vehicles. The massacre drew international condemnation and triggered a massive counter-insurgency operation across south Kashmir. Security agencies later identified the attackers as TRF cadres who had infiltrated from Pakistan.

In June, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two brothers from Kulgam — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar — for allegedly sheltering the militants and providing logistical help. Their interrogation helped identify three terrorists directly involved in the attack.

Investigators are now mapping the broader support network that enabled the attackers to travel, hide, and execute the massacre. Security officials said further arrests are likely as they trace hideouts and Overground Worker (OGW) links that sustained the TRF module behind the carnage.