Latest news with #AK-47
India Today
8 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
How Pahalgam attackers were identified after Operation Mahadev
During the discussion on Operation Sindoor in Parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah made a big revelation about the success of Operation Mahadev with firm clarity. Cutting through the political noise, the Home Minister brought facts about one of India's most meticulously executed counter-terror operations — Operation Minister Amit Shah confirmed India Today's newsbreak that the three terrorists who were eliminated in Operation Mahadev were the ones responsible for the Pahalgam attack on April 22. But how were the authorities so sure these were the same men? The Home Minister made the announcement and explained how extra caution was used while verifying the identity of these TRAIL USING HUMAN INTELLIGENCE LAYERThe breakthrough began not with bullets but with food and shelter. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had already arrested individuals in Kashmir who had aided the terrorists. These locals had provided them food, shelter, and logistics. During interrogations, these men gave detailed accounts of the three terrorists they had encountered. Later, after Operation Mahadev was completed, these individuals were brought in to visually identify the neutralised terrorists. They confirmed that the same men they had helped were now lying dead, killed by the CROSSCHECK BASED ON GUNS, SHELLS, SCIENCEWhile human intelligence provided one layer of identification, the security agencies sought irrefutable forensic proof. The AK-47 rifles and an M9 Carbine recovered from the terrorists were immediately flown to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in experts conducted ballistic matching tests. At 4 AM, the CFSL issued its final report confirming that the bullets fired from the recovered weapons were a match to the shell casings and projectiles collected from the Pahalgam attack site. This scientific confirmation eliminated any EVIDENCE FROM THE OPERATION SITESecurity forces didn't leave it soon as the three terrorists were neutralised in Operation Mahadev, joint teams from the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF, and intelligence agencies launched an immediate on-ground verification thoroughly searched the bodies, weapons, satellite phones, and documents recovered. Among the seized items were thoroughly checked. There was enough evidence that confirmed foreign of the three terrorists were carrying Pakistani voter ID numbers, which were retrieved and verified by intelligence sources, according to the Home BRIEFING DELAYED UNTIL 100% CONFIRMATIONAfter the success of Operation Mahadev, a briefing was planned by the Chinar Corps GOC for 5 pm in Srinagar. But it was delayed. Why? Because the security forces chose caution over haste - they waited for final confirmation from CFSL after the ballistics test report at 4 am the next day did the Indian government officially confirm that the neutralised terrorists were the perpetrators of the Pahalgam Home Minister further revealed that 8 out of the 10 terrorists eliminated in Operation Sindoor were also involved in attacks during the UPA era. With multi-layered intelligence, forensic science, human intelligence, and digital tracking, Indian security forces didn't just strike back — they proved that they eliminated the exact individuals responsible for the heinous Pahalgam attack.- EndsMust Watch
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
AK-47 used in DJ Sumbody's murder linked to 3 more killings, including DJ Vintos
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that the AK-47 used in the killing of popular musician DJ Sumbody has now been linked to three additional murders, including that of Soweto-based Hector 'DJ Vintos' Buthelezi. Businessman Katiso Molefe, former police officer Michael Pule Tau, Tiego Floyd Mabusela, and Musa Kekana appeared in the Alexander Magistrate's Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning. Three of the four men accused in the assassination of DJ Sumbody, whose real name was Oupa John Sefoka, now also face an additional charge related to the murder of Don Tindleni. All four are charged with DJ Vintos' murder. DJ Vintos was gunned down in March 2022 outside a nightclub in Orlando East, Soweto. Speaking outside the court, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the suspects were traveling in a BMW X3 at the time of the shooting. 'In relation to the Alexandra Magistrate's Court, the SAPS Political Killings Task Team, working closely with the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit, has brought two additional cases against the four accused who were previously arrested in connection with the Aman Sefoka (DJ Sumbody) case and the killings of his two bodyguards, Sibusiso Khumalo and Sandile Lemeza,' said Mathe. She said the firearm used, a single AK-47, has now been forensically linked to four murders. The murders included that of DJ Sumbody and his two bodyguards in November 2022, DJ Vintos in March 2022, Don Tindleni, killed in a BMW 5 Series on the N1 freeway in March 2023, and the Aman Sefoka case, as part of broader investigations 'What is significant is that one AK-47 has been definitively connected to all four murder scenes,' Mathe said. 'Beyond ballistic links, there is also overwhelming additional evidence that has been pieced together by our investigators.'
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Pahalgam terrorists killed… Clear proof of Pak hand': Amit Shah tells Lok Sabha
Speaking for the government on the second day of the special debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the House that those behind the Pahalgam terror attack had been killed. The three terrorists gunned down in the Dachigam forest area on the outskirts of Srinagar under 'Operation Mahadev' on Monday were the same as those involved in the terrorist attack on April 22, Shah said, adding that forensic proof as well as witness identification of the men had confirmed the same. Identifying the three as Suleiman alias Faisal Jatt, Afghan and Jibran, he said they had all come from Pakistan. The three were killed in 'Operation Mahadev' carried out by the Army's 4 Para, CRPF and J&K Police jointly, Shah said. 'Suleiman was an A-grade LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) commander, and was involved in the Pahalgam and Gagangeer (the Z-Morh tunnel) attacks. Our agencies have ample evidence of this. Afghan was an A-grade LeT commander and Jibran was also an A-grade terrorist. These three terrorists were those who killed our citizens in Baisaran (Pahalgam), and all three have been killed. Through this House, I thank the security personnel involved.' Giving details of Operation Mahadev, the Home Minister said it 'started on May 22, 2025'. 'In a way, the day the killings happened, that night itself a security meeting was held… They (the Opposition) are saying only Rahul Gandhi went there… At 1 pm, the attack happened, and at 5.30 pm, I was in Srinagar. On April 23, a security meeting took place, with the security forces and J&K Police present. The first decision taken was that those involved in the killings should not escape to Pakistan, and we made elaborate arrangements. On May 22, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) received human intelligence of the presence of terrorists in the Dachigam region… Repeated efforts were on from May till July 22 to confirm this… On July 22, we got success through sensors, and it was confirmed that the terrorists were there.' On how they had confirmed that the three killed were those behind the Pahalgam attack, Shah said: 'The NIA had kept those who helped these terrorists in custody and when the bodies of the terrorists came to Srinagar, four people confirmed that these three conducted the terror attack in Pahalgam.' The minister said that this was not all they depended upon. 'We were in no rush,' Shah said, adding that they also matched the cartridges found with the three killed, with those recovered from the Pahalgam terror site. 'Three rifles were recovered from them. One was an M9 American rifle and two were AK-47. The cartridges found (in Pahalgam) were also of M9 and AK-47. The recovered rifles were sent to Chandigarh (forensic lab) in a special aircraft. These rifles were fired all night, and the cartridges matched (with those recovered from the Pahalgam site)… Then, it was determined that these three rifles were used to kill our innocent citizens,' he said. 'I have the ballistic report in my hand and it is verified by six scientists. And they… are 100% sure,' said Shah. The Home Minister said the security agencies also had clear proof of the terrorists being from Pakistan, such as voter numbers of two of the three. 'The rifles are with us. The chocolates found with them are also manufactured in Pakistan.' At the start of his address, the Home Minister expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in Pahalgam, and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the go-ahead for Operation Sindoor in response. People had been killed in front of their families, after being asked about their religion, Shah pointed out, adding that he wanted to tell their families that the attackers 'have been taught a lesson, so that they can't undertake such an incident again'. If Operation Sindoor had killed the bosses of the terrorists who were killed, Shah said, Operation Mahadev had killed the terrorists themselves. 'I had hoped that when this information is shared, there will be happiness across the board… But their (the Opposition's) faces have fallen… Are you not happy that the terrorists have been killed?' Shah said. In a barb at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who also spoke during the debate, Shah urged him not to be upset over 'the religion of the terrorists killed'. On the Opposition's point of accountability, Shah spoke about the attacks under previous governments, and said: 'They were asking yesterday where they (the terrorists) came from, where they went, and who is responsible. We are responsible because we are in government. But I ask, when you were in government, then who was responsible?' Elaborating the steps they had undertaken after the Pahalgam attack, Shah said: 'The Army, BSF, CRPF and J&K Police made all the arrangements to stop their escape from the country… A total of 1,055 people were questioned for over 3,000 hours for information, and it was all video-recorded. Based on it, sketches were made.' He added: 'On June 22, one Bashir and one Parvez who had given shelter to the terrorists were identified… They were arrested and kept in custody. They said that on the night of April 21, at 8 pm, three terrorists had come… They had AK47 and M9 rifles… They ate, had tea and carried some food with them… The mother of the two (who gave shelter) also identified the bodies of the terrorists.' In the Rajya Sabha, which began its debate on Operation Sindoor Tuesday, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also started his address by informing the House that the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack had been killed. 'In the probe carried out after the Pahalgam attack, security agencies had obtained important clues which were used for counter-terror operations. A forensic analysis was done of the weapons found on the terrorists (killed on Monday), and that made it clear that these were the same used in the Pahalgam terror attack. We have done what we said, and all three terrorists were killed by security forces,' Singh said. 'These men were from the same terrorist front whose terrorists killed 26 innocent people in Pahalgam on April 22. No praise is enough for our security forces for maintaining the country's internal security,' he said. (with ENS inputs)
Eyewitness News
13 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Ballistic testing links Katiso 'KT' Molefe to AK-47 rifle used in murders of DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos
JOHANNESBURG - An AK-47 rifle has connected the murders of popular musicians, including Oupa Sefoka, and other high-profile killings linked to controverial businessman, Katiso "KT" Molefe. Molefe returned to the Alexandra Magistrate's Court with three others for the murder of Sefoka, who was better known as DJ Sumbody. But police revealed that the dodgy businessman had also been charged for the murder of another musician, Hector Buthelezi, known as DJ Vintos. His co-accused have also been charged for another hit. Katiso "KT" Molefe is already facing murder charges for the hit on Vereening engineer, Armand Swart, in April 2024. Last week, he was charged for being the alleged mastermind behind DJ Sumbody's murder and on Tuesday he was linked to the killing of another popular musician, DJ Vintos. The police's Athlenda Mathe said the links we made through ballistic testing. "The AK47 and the three pistols that were found on the Armand Swart case and were linked to his case, we're linking it to the killing of DJ Vintos and the killing of DJ Sumbody and his bodyguards." Mathe said that the same gun was also linked to the 2023 hit on a man identified as Don Tindleni, who was shot while driving in his BMW on the N1 highway in March 2023. Mathe said that apart from the ballistic evidence, the police had more solid evidence against Molefe and his co-accused.
The Citizen
14 hours ago
- The Citizen
Suspects in DJ Sumbody murder case linked to multiple unsolved assassinations
Four suspects, Katiso Molefe, Michael Pule Tau, Musa Kekana, and Tiego Floyd Mabusela, accused of the murder of Oupa Sefoka, popularly known as DJ Sumbody, are now linked to a string of unsolved assassinations. The suspects appeared before the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for the bail application of Sandton Businessman Molefe. The court postponed Molefe's bail application to August 6. The three alleged hitmen – Tau, Kekana, and Mabusela – had previously revealed that they had no intention of applying for bail on July 22. According to police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Political Killings Task Team and Gauteng Organised Crime Unit have connected the suspects to two additional cases. Also read: Suspects in DJ Sumbody's murder linked to multiple high-profile cases The first case involves the murder of Hector Buthelezi, known as DJ Vintos, who was gunned down in a hail of bullets outside a nightclub in Orlando East back in March 2022. The second case, from March 2023, is the killing of Don Tindleni on the N1, near the A17 off-ramp. Both cases had previously remained unsolved. 'Our investigations have now brought us to this point,' said Mathe. 'We are linking the AK-47, as well the three pistols that were found on the Armand Swart case, to the killing of Armand Swart, the killing of DJ Vintos, the killing of DJ Sumbody and his bodyguards, and to the Don Tindleni's murder.' All four accused face charges for the murder of DJ Vintos, while the three alleged hitmen are also charged in connection with Tindleni's assassination. Mathe said investigations to reveal the mastermind behind Tindleni's murder are ongoing. Molefe was out on bail in connection with the murder of Swart at the time of his arrest for DJ Sumbody's murder. Now, intending to apply for bail for the murder of DJ Sumbody, he has also been charged in connection with the murder of DJ Vintos. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration!
