Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir: Security has been placed on high alert in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district following reports of gunfire in the Dehrna forest area of Marwah. The development has raised concerns over a possible terror-related incident, with two Special Police Officers (SPOs) reportedly missing during a patrol.

The missing personnel have been identified as **Rashpal Kumar, aged 40, and Bobby Chand, aged 54**. According to media reports, the two SPOs were accompanying Army personnel during a patrol in the mountainous Dacchan-Marwah region and were heading towards the Dehrna post when contact with them was lost.

Reports of gunshots from the surrounding forest area have further heightened security concerns. A joint search operation involving police and security agencies has been launched to trace the missing personnel and establish the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.

Mobile Phones Initially Active, Later Switched Out of Contact

Sources indicate that the mobile phones of the two missing SPOs were initially active but later became unreachable. Reports also suggest that Airtel network services were disrupted in the Marwah area around the time the personnel went missing.

Airtel had announced the launch of mobile network services in Marwah earlier this year, on March 10, marking the first connectivity services in the remote region.

Previous SPO Killing Raises Security Concerns

The latest incident comes against the backdrop of another disturbing case involving a police personnel in Kishtwar.

On October 15, 2026, SPO Bashir Ahmed reportedly went missing from a police picket in Trigam along with his service rifle. His body was recovered the following day from a pit near a stream in the Trigam forest area.

On October 19, police reportedly arrested two suspects in connection with his murder.

The disappearance of the two SPOs has now triggered renewed concerns over security in the mountainous areas of Kishtwar. Security agencies are continuing their search operations, while further details regarding the missing personnel and the reported gunfire are awaited.