Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have launched a massive search operation after a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan went missing from his battalion headquarters in Srinagar late Thursday evening.
The missing personnel has been identified as Sugam Choudhary, a member of the BSF&rsquo;s 60th Battalion posted in the Panthachowk area of Srinagar. Authorities reported that he was last seen at the battalion base, and his sudden disappearance has raised concerns within the security establishment.
Despite hours of combing the surrounding areas, no trace of the trooper has been found so far. A missing person report has been filed, and investigations are ongoing to determine whether the disappearance was voluntary or linked to other suspicious activity.
&ldquo;This is being treated with utmost seriousness. All angles are being examined,&rdquo; an official involved in the search confirmed.
The development comes at a time when security forces across J&amp;K are on high alert, following the recent anti-terror operations and the government's announcement of Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the brutal killing of 26 civilians by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in Pahalgam&rsquo;s Baisaran meadow on April 22.
In response, elite units of the Indian armed forces carried out Operation Mahadev, during which three top LeT operatives, \ Suleman Shah, Abu Humza, and Jibran Bhai,&nbsp;were neutralized in the upper reaches of Dachigam National Park, near the Mahadev mountain in Srinagar on July 28.
Officials say that ongoing operations are not just aimed at eliminating active militants but are also targeting overground workers (OGWs), sympathisers, drug peddlers, and hawala operatives believed to be part of the wider terror-support infrastructure in the union territory.
Intelligence inputs suggest that a significant amount of terror financing is being funneled through narcotics and hawala networks, prompting a broader crackdown by security agencies.
As the probe into the missing BSF jawan continues, authorities remain tight-lipped about possible leads, and the security grid in the Kashmir Valley remains firmly in place.

60th Battalion jawan disappears from HQ in Panthachowk; search and probe underway

BSF Trooper Goes Missing in Srinagar

60th Battalion jawan disappears from HQ in Panthachowk; search and probe underway

August 1, 2025 | 15:38 IST