Jammu and Kashmir Police Launch Manhunt and Announce ₹15 Lakh Bounty for Lashkar Terrorist Mohammad Lateef

DODA, AUGUST 07, 2026 — Jammu and Kashmir Police have intensified their search operations to capture Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Mohammad Lateef, key perpetrator behind the recent killings of a police officer and two non-local laborers in the Kashmir Valley. To track down the fugitive, authorities have issued wanted posters carrying Lateef’s photograph across multiple districts of the Kashmir region as well as the Doda district in the Jammu division. A cash reward of ₹15 lakh has been officially announced for anyone offering credible information leading to his arrest, with security agencies assuring complete confidentiality regarding the informant’s identity.

The manhunt follows a fatal terror incident on July 31 in the Kellam area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, where terrorists targeted non-local workers at a local brick kiln. The attack resulted in the death of 24-year-old Deepak Ratre from Chhattisgarh, while his 28-year-old colleague, Bhupendra, suffered severe gunshot wounds and later succumbed to his injuries during medical treatment. Expressing grief over the incident, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai publicly condoled the demise of the two workers.

This assault came just ten days after terrorists shot and killed a police officer in Anantnag city, pointing to a deliberate effort to target security personnel and non-local workers. Previous similar violence includes the February 7, 2024 attack in Srinagar’s Shaheed Gunj area, where two non-local workers from Punjab, Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih, were gunned down. Security agencies have significantly scaled up cordon-and-search operations across the region to neutralize the threats and restore confidence among non-local laborers.