According to official sources, security agencies detected the signal of an Iridium satellite communication device at around 11:15 am in the Sumb region of the Samba sector. The location is strategically sensitive because of the proximity of the International Border with Pakistan.
The Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the Special Operations Group (SOG) teams got involved to search the area at the time and began a search over the mountainous terrain. The security personnel closed the hilly stretch because of its dense forest cover and difficult terrain and looked for who might have been operating the satellite communication device.
The device has disappeared from the air since the signal was detected and security agencies have not received any further transmission from it. The forces have searched in the forested and hilly terrain for the device or any person who might have been using it.
Drones have also been used to monitor the forest and surrounding hillocks. Security has been enhanced along routes leading to Sumb, which is located along the Basantar River and provides access to the International Border. The operation is led by SOG DSP Sakshi Sharma and Samba SHO Pushpinder Singh Chib, along with Army personnel and other security agencies.
The use of an Iridium satellite communication device has attracted particular attention from security agencies because such phones can operate in remote locations where conventional mobile networks may not be available. Satellite phones are also used legitimately by Indian security forces to maintain communication in mountainous, forested and other difficult-to-access areas.
But officials are investigating whether the intercepted signal might have been for a person who had links to handlers in the cross-border scene. They have not yet pinpointed the user or why the device was activated.
The search operation was ongoing for a few hours but security personnel had not yet recovered any satellite phone, communication equipment or other suspicious material from the area so far, they said. A terrorist, an over-ground worker or a Pakistani spy has not yet been ruled out.
Investigators are also looking at whether the brief satellite communication signal could have been used to communicate before the device was switched off. Security agencies believe terrorists or their associates may discontinue communication after reaching out to handlers on the border, making it more difficult to track their movements.
Thus, the operation has not only focused on finding the device but also on checking possible movement routes through the forest and hills. Personnel are searching for the device and aerial surveillance is being carried out to cover areas that may be difficult to access on foot.
The Samba area remains strategically important since it is close to the International Border and it has a history of being a possible entry route. Security agencies have already seized on alerts of suspected satellite communication equipment in the region.
Samba, Jammu and Kashmir: Security forces launched a large-scale search operation in the remote hilly area of Sumb in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district after receiving information about the activation of a wireless set in the area. During the operation, security forces also… pic.twitter.com/47sxpLymQ0
— IANS (@ians_india) August 25, 2026
In January 2024, a Thuraya satellite phone in the same broader region had triggered a security alert and a search operation. The new detections have thus led agencies to strengthen their vigilance and to trace the source of the signal.
At present, there is no indication that the latest signal was linked to terrorist activity or cross-border infiltration. The search remains ongoing and security agencies will also identify the nature and origin of the communication once they have done ground and aerial searches.
