Pahalgam Attack: Police Detain Suspect After Tourist’s Viral Video, Probe Underway
Following the tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, Ganderbal district police moved swiftly on Friday after a video circulated widely on social media.
In the video, a tourist woman, Ekta Tiwari from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, alleged that a man had questioned her about her religion during her visit.
Acting on the viral footage, police identified and detained the suspect, who has been recognized as Aiyaz Ahmad Jungal, the son of Gh Nabi Jungal, and a resident of Gohipora Raizan in Ganderbal.
Officials confirmed that Aiyaz works as a pony service provider at the Thajwas Glacier in Sonamarg, a popular tourist spot.
He is currently under sustained interrogation, and authorities have initiated legal proceedings against him following due process.
The police are also investigating whether the suspect had any direct or indirect involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack.
In her detailed account, Ekta Tiwari claimed she encountered two suspected terrorists—whose sketches were later released by authorities—while taking a mule ride during her visit to Pahalgam on April 20.
She showed a photograph on her phone of one of the men she interacted with, describing him as wearing a maroon jacket and pyjamas.
Tiwari recalled that the man had asked her personal questions about her religion and background.
Although she did not ask for his name, Tiwari said the photo was taken at Baisaran Valley. She added that her friends, though frightened, had also recognized the suspects, as reflected in conversations within their WhatsApp group.
According to her account, during the mule ride, the men asked about her name, religion, and whether she had visited religious sites like Ajmer Dargah or Amarnath.
She replied that she hadn’t but mentioned she had considered registering for the Amarnath Yatra.
The men allegedly offered to help her skip registration and arrange a direct reception if she shared her intended travel date.
Ekta’s husband, Prashant Gautam, said their group of 20 people was on a pilgrimage tour that included visiting Vaishno Devi in Katra before proceeding to other destinations.
Tiwari recounted that the questioning took a more unsettling turn when the man asked if she preferred Hinduism or Islam.
Upon answering that she liked both, he further inquired about the number of Hindu and Muslim friends she had and whether she had ever read the Quran.
When she said she hadn’t because she did not know Urdu, he reportedly told her the Quran was available in Hindi as well. She said she began feeling increasingly uneasy at this point.
The situation became even more alarming when she allegedly overheard the man during a phone call saying, “Plan A brake fail, Plan B 35 guns sent and kept on the grass in the valley.”
Noticing her overhearing, he reportedly switched languages to avoid being understood.
Tiwari described the man as sounding less like a local and more like a Pakistani national living in Kashmir. He claimed to be a Quran teacher and mentioned that he had been in the region for about seven years.
When asked why she did not report the incident immediately, Tiwari said there were no visible police booths or security posts around the area.
She mentioned that the only checkpoint she saw was around 7–8 kilometers before Pahalgam, and it appeared unmanned when she passed by.
She further stated that two of the suspects disappeared from the area as they descended from the valley. When asked about the certainty of her claims,
Tiwari insisted she was absolutely sure, especially because of the suspicious conversation involving “35 guns” and the questions about her religion.
She emphasized that everyone in her group recognized the individuals from the police sketches released after the attack.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to establish whether the detained suspect had any deeper links to the terror plot that shook Pahalgam.
