New Delhi:
More than a decade after four Jammu and Kashmir policemen were killed in one of the deadliest ambushes on security forces in north Kashmir, investigators have secured an international arrest notice against the man they say masterminded the attack.
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir announced today that Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist commander who officials believe fled to Pakistan years ago. Kandoo, who also goes by the aliases Fayaz and Sajad, is the prime accused in the 2013 killing of four policemen at Peer Mohalla in Hygam, Sopore.
The attack took place on April 26, 2013, when terrorists opened fire on a police patrol, killing all four personnel on the spot. The case remained without a breakthrough for years until it was handed over to SIA Kashmir in 2024 for a fresh, in-depth probe.
Officials said the agency’s investigators spent months piecing together the conspiracy behind the ambush, examining witnesses, tracing weapons, and reconstructing the sequence of events. That effort culminated in a chargesheet filed before a trial court in July 2024, naming six men in connection with the killings.
Of the six, Tariq Ahmad Mir of Handwara and Qayoom Najar of Sopore, have since been killed in separate encounters with security forces. Three others, Javid Ahmad Mattoo, Rouf Najar and Ahmadullah Malla, were arrested and are currently standing trial. Kandoo alone remains at large, having, according to investigators, slipped across the border into Pakistan to escape arrest.
A resident of Kraltang in Sopore, Kandoo has been linked to Hizbul Mujahideen since 2010 and rose through its ranks to become a commander of the terrorist group. The Union government formally designated him an individual terrorist in October 2022.
According to SIA Kashmir, its investigation went well beyond the Hygam case, uncovering Kandoo’s alleged involvement in a much wider web of violence. He is wanted in at least ten other terror-related cases, the agency said, including targeted killings that have claimed more than 15 lives, weapons smuggling, and narco-terror financing operations used to fund terror activity in the region.
Despite years of effort by security agencies to track him down, Kandoo had continued to evade arrest until now, with the Interpol notice opening the door to international cooperation in locating and extraditing him.
The Red Corner Notice obligates member countries’ law enforcement to locate, detain, and assist in extradition proceedings against Kandoo should he be traced. SIA officials described the development as a major milestone, saying it reflects the agency’s growing capacity to pursue long-pending terror cases across borders and hold terrorists who are on the run accountable through international policing channels.
The agency said it remains committed to dismantling terror networks operating in and around Kashmir and pursuing fugitives regardless of where they may be hiding.
 Kashmir announced today that Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist){kind=link}