Kulgam man arrested for aiding Pahalgam attackers linked to Mahadev

Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday arrested a 26-year-old man from Kulgam whom officials allege provided logistical support to militants involved in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed tourists, police said. The suspect, identified in official statements as Mohammad Yousuf Katari, was taken into custody after investigators linked material recovered during July’s Operation Mahadev to the Pahalgam attackers, police sources said.

Officials said Katari, a resident of southern Kulgam district, was first called in for questioning for two days before being formally arrested and remanded to 14 days of police custody. Authorities described him as an overground worker, or OGW, who had aided the movements and hideouts of the militants in the run-up to the attack. Sources told investigators that Katari held a contractual job locally and also taught children in the area, and that he began providing assistance to the militants a few months before April 22.

"Terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack. The arrested individual had provided them logistical support," an official said, linking Katari to the three militants killed in the July...