Satellite signal triggers security alert in J&K Samba, forces launch forest search operation
Satellite signal triggers security alert in J&K Samba, forces launch forest search operation
Jammu, Aug 26: A suspected foreign-origin satellite communication signal detected in the Sumb area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district has prompted a major security operation, with the Army, police and other agencies searching the forested terrain for the source of the transmission.
Security agencies detected a signal from an Iridium satellite communication device at around 11:15 am in the Sumb area of the Samba sector, according to official sources.
The signal was detected in a hilly stretch surrounded by dense forest cover. Following the alert, Army personnel, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) moved into the area and established a cordon.
The device has since stopped transmitting and no fresh signal has been detected.
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Security forces have deployed drones to scan the forest and nearby hillocks from the air. Additional security measures have also been put in place along roads leading towards Sumb, which lies near the Basantar river and provides access towards the International Border with Pakistan.
The operation is being led by SOG DSP Sakshi Sharma and Samba SHO Pushpinder Singh Chib, along with Army personnel and other security agencies.
Despite several hours of searching, forces have not yet recovered the suspected satellite device or any other suspicious material.
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“The search is on for the last several hours, but no satellite set or other suspicious material was recovered so far,” sources said.
Iridium satellite phones are also used by Indian security forces for communication in remote and mountainous terrain. However, security agencies are examining whether the signal could have originated from a person connected to handlers across the border.
Sources said the possibility of a terrorist, an over-ground worker or a Pakistani spy being present in the area cannot yet be ruled out.
Investigators suspect that terrorists could switch off satellite communication equipment after establishing contact with handlers across the border, potentially making it harder for security forces to trace their location.
The search operation remains underway, with personnel continuing to comb the forested and hilly stretches around Sumb.
The Samba sector is considered strategically sensitive because it has previously been used as an infiltration route by terrorists. Security agencies have also detected satellite communication devices in the region in the past.
In January 2024, the detection of a Thuraya satellite phone in the same area had triggered a security alert and a subsequent search operation.–(Agencies)