Anwari Ali Chouhan, a former member of the Hizbul Mujahideen, was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district after an extensive 18-year manhunt. Chouhan, also known as Jamsheer, originally hails from Gujjar-Kothian Talwara and had joined the terrorist group in 2001, remaining active for approximately seven years before going underground.

The arrest took place on February 20, 2025, marking a significant achievement for law enforcement agencies in their ongoing efforts to combat militancy in the region.

Chouhan subsequently went underground and kept changing his location so as to evade arrest in multiple militancy-related cases registered at the Reasi police station.

Chouhan was wanted in two terrorist-related incidents, including a firing incident on January 5, 2006, in the Jadd forest, and a grenade attack at Baradari in Reasi on April 7, 2006, which killed the father of a police officer and injured four others, the spokesman said.

Chouhan's long evasion of capture highlights the challenges faced by security forces in tracking down individuals involved in terrorist activities.

Agencies