Indian Security forces in Kashmir have arrested a top overground worker (OGW) linked to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam incident, using forensic leads from a partially damaged mobile phone charger.
Mohammad Yousuf Katari, a 26-year-old seasonal schoolteacher from Kulgam, was arrested on September 24 after being identified as a key logistical supporter of the persons involved in the Pahalgam incident. His arrest followed a detailed forensic investigation into a charger recovered from the site of an encounter in July.
On July 28, 2025, security forces killed three persons involved in the Pahalgam incident. Among the items recovered at the encounter site was a partially burnt Android phone charger. A police official revealed that forensic experts managed to trace the serial number on the charger, eventually tracking it through the manufacturing and purchase trail.
This led investigators to a Srinagar-based mobile dealer, who had sold the charger to a local second-hand phone vendor. The vendor’s records further led them to Katari, who had purchased the device and later supplied it to the terrorists.
Katari confessed during interrogation that he had guided the terrorists through the terrain and provided them with critical support, including the charger, during their planning and execution of the Pahalgam incident. As a seasonal teacher working with nomadic students, his deep knowledge of the local terrain made him a valuable asset for the terrorist group.
This case underscores how meticulous investigation of even the smallest evidence, in this case, a damaged Android charger, can lead to the unravelling of a larger terror network.
