* SIA, Kashmir secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo alias Fayaz alias Sajad.
* The notice relates to a 2013 terrorist attack case.
* The incident occurred on April 23, 2013, at Peer Mohalla, Hygam, Sopore, resulting in the death of four J&K Police personnel.
* The case was registered at Police Station Tarzoo, Sopore and transferred to SIA Kashmir in 2024 for investigation.
* SIA completed the investigation, added charges based on fresh evidence, and filed a chargesheet in July 2024 against six accused persons.
* Two accused, Tariq Ahmad Mir and Qayoom Najar, were eliminated during operations.
* Javid Ahmad Mattoo, Rouf Najar, and Ahmadullah Malla were arrested and are facing trial.
* Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo is the main accused and is believed to have exfiltrated to Pakistan.
* Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo has been an active member and commander of Hizbul Mujahideen since 2010.
* Kandoo was notified as a Designated Individual Terrorist by the Government of India in October 2022.
* Investigation established Kandoo’s main role in the Hygam attack and involvement in a wider terrorist network involving other attacks, targeted killings, smuggling, and financing.

The State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir, secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo alias Fayaz alias Sajad regarding a 2013 terrorist attack case. This notice is intended to assist international law enforcement in locating the accused, detaining him, and pursuing extradition to India for trial. The underlying incident involved a terrorist ambush on April 23, 2013, at Peer Mohalla, Hygam, Sopore, where four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel were killed.
The investigation was initially registered at Police Station Tarzoo, Sopore, before being transferred to SIA Kashmir in 2024 for comprehensive review. The investigation resulted in the filing of a chargesheet in July 2024 against six accused persons. During the proceedings, two accused, Tariq Ahmad Mir and Qayoom Najar, were eliminated in encounters with security forces, while Javid Ahmad Mattoo, Rouf Najar, and Ahmadullah Malla were arrested and are facing trial. The main accused, Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, is currently absconding and is believed to have fled to Pakistan.
Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo has been an active member and commander of the proscribed terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen since 2010. He was notified as a Designated Individual Terrorist by the Government of India in October 2022 due to his sustained involvement in terrorist activities. The investigation established Kandoo’s central role in the Hygam attack and linked him to a broader network involving other terror-related offenses, including targeted killings, arms smuggling, and financing terrorism.

The narrative centers on the persistent challenge of locating and prosecuting high-value individuals connected to organized terrorism across borders. The process reveals a state apparatus attempting to leverage international mechanisms—the Interpol notice—to enforce domestic judicial processes, which are complicated by the physical absence of the primary subject. The contrast between successful internal law enforcement actions (eliminations and arrests) and the evasion of the principal accused highlights systemic friction points in counter-insurgency operations.
The pattern observed is the structural gap between intelligence gathering/investigation leading to formal charges and the physical realities of high-level fugitive movement across international lines. This suggests that while legal frameworks for accountability are initiated domestically, efficacy is severely constrained when faced with actors who deliberately exploit geopolitical fault lines for safe passage. The fact that Kandoo was a long-standing commander within an organization since 2010 underscores the deep, embedded nature of the threat structure being addressed through these notices.
The implication for agency lies in the dependency on external systems for accountability. If international requests fail to translate into tangible results, it can breed a sense of futility regarding systemic security measures. The persistence of such fugitive networks necessitates examining not just law enforcement procedures but also the transnational dynamics that allow individuals like Kandoo to operate outside conventional legal reach. What alternative mechanisms exist beyond extradition notices to ensure accountability for those embedded deeply within militant structures?