A brief satellite phone signal from a banned Chinese device led Indian security forces to the hideout of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. This triggered a swift and coordinated counter-terror operation codenamed Operation Mahadev in the Dachigam forests near Srinagar.
Also Read: Pahalgam Attack Mastermind Suleiman Shah Killed in Operation Mahadev
According to military officials, a dormant Huawei satellite phone that had been illegally smuggled into India was inadvertently activated late last week. The signal was intercepted by units in Delhi and traced to the Lidwas area of the Dachigam wildlife sanctuary. Based on the pinpoint location, the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps, Para Special Forces, CRPF, and Jammu & Kashmir Police launched a joint operation at dawn on Monday.
Drone surveillance confirmed the presence of three militants concealed beneath a forest trench. Within 90 minutes of engagement, all three were eliminated. Among them was Hashim Musa, also known as Suleiman Shah, the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam massacre in which 26 civilians were killed.
Operation Mahadev followed a 14-day intelligence build-up that included intercepted encrypted chatter on T82 ultraset radios, satellite geolocation data, and local inputs. At 2 AM on Monday, the terrorists reactivated their encrypted communication, enabling Indian signals-intelligence teams to lock onto their coordinates.
By 8 AM, drones began relaying visuals of the Dachigam ridgeline. At 9:30 AM, Rashtriya Rifles and Para SF units cordoned off the Mahadev hill feature. The initial firefight occurred at 11 AM, resulting in two immediate kills. One militant who attempted to escape was shot by 11:45 AM. By 12:45 PM, the operation concluded with body recovery and area clearance.
Recovered items included carbine and AK-47 rifles, multiple rifle grenades, and satellite-navigation tools linked to China’s BeiDou system. These tools have increasingly been used by terrorist groups to avoid detection through conventional GPS surveillance.
Investigators confirmed the use of a Huawei satellite phone connected to the Tiantong-1 network. These phones provide low-bandwidth communication independent of terrestrial infrastructure and are equipped with strong encryption and frequency-hopping features that complicate interception. Experts say decryption of such signals often requires days of work and assistance from allied agencies.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the successful mission in Parliament and stated that terrorism would no longer find refuge in Kashmir. The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir called the strike a result of improved intelligence coordination but acknowledged lapses that allowed the April 22 massacre to occur.
Security officials believe that more members of the terror module may still be hiding in the expansive Dachigam forest. Search operations remain ongoing in the region.
