Inside elusive hunt for Pahalgam terrorists armed with uncrackable tech

On April 22, 2025, the serene meadows of Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, turned into a nightmare. Four terrorists – Ali Bhai alias Talha, Hashim Musa alias Suleiman, Adil Hussain Thoker, and an unidentified fourth accomplice – unleashed a brutal attack, killing 26 people. This attack, one of the deadliest in Kashmir since 2000, exposed a chilling reality: the terrorists’ use of advanced technologies like Ultra Sets and the Alpine Quest app is making it incredibly tough for security forces to track and nab them.

As India mourns, the hunt for these killers reveals a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, with technology tipping the scales in favour of terror.

The masterminds behind the Pahalgam massacre are no ordinary fugitives. Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa, both Pakistani nationals, infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir about 18 months ago through the Samba-Kathua border, cutting through fences to enter undetected.

Adil Hussain Thoker, a local from Bijbehara in Anantnag, is a former schoolteacher who turned to terror after training with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan. The fourth terrorist remains a mystery. These terrorists, linked to LeT and possibly the TRF squad, executed a calculated strike, blocking entry and exit gates of Baisaran Valley to trap their victims. Their ability to vanish into South Kashmir’s dense forests post-attack underscores their training and the technological edge they wield.

At the heart of their evasion lies Ultra Sets, encrypted communication devices that have stumped even the best intelligence agencies. First recovered in the Jammu region in 2023, these devices use coded messaging so secure that neither Indian forces nor their allies have cracked them.

According to security sources, Ultra Sets leave almost no technical footprint, making real-time tracking nearly impossible. In Pahalgam, the terrorists used these devices to coordinate their attack, with forces only picking up faint ‘Ultra beeps’ afterward – far from enough to pinpoint their location. This lack of digital traces has forced security agencies to rely on physical encounters and seizures to map the terrorists’ routes, a slow and risky process.

Adding to the complexity is the Alpine Quest app, a GPS-based navigation tool designed for trekkers and hikers. Developed by Psyberia, a French company, this app allows offline mapping and real-time localization, perfect for navigating Kashmir’s rugged terrain without internet access.

Unverified reports suggest the terrorists used a tampered version of Alpine Quest to pre-feed locations and move undetected through forests. While evidence tying the app directly to the Pahalgam attack remains speculative, its potential misuse highlights a broader issue: everyday tools can become weapons in the wrong hands. The app’s offline capabilities make it a ghost in the digital world, much like the terrorists themselves.

The Indian security forces, including the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Indian Army, and National Investigation Agency (NIA), are leaving no stone unturned. Since the attack, four major counter-terrorism operations have been launched across Kashmir, with two focused on South Kashmir’s Yarwan forest in Shopian. Raids in Doda, Pulwama, and Baramulla aim to bust terrorist hideouts, while the NIA is recreating the crime scene with help from local witnesses and video footage, including a chilling clip captured by tourist Rishi Bhatt on a zipline.

The forces are also tapping local tribal communities for intelligence, a move that has yielded sketches of Ali Bhai, Hashim Musa, and Thoker. Over 48 tourist spots, including Pahalgam, have been shut to prevent further attacks, and a verification drive targeting non-local residents is underway to root out sympathizers.

Yet, the challenges are daunting. The terrorists’ use of Ultra Sets means traditional surveillance methods are failing. The possible tampering of Alpine Quest adds another layer of difficulty, as offline navigation leaves no digital trail.

Security forces have demolished the homes of suspected terrorists, including Thoker’s in Anantnag and others in Pulwama, to disrupt their support networks. However, these actions have sparked protests from regional parties, complicating the ground situation. The terrorists’ familiarity with the terrain, combined with their technological savvy, makes them elusive. Eyewitnesses report two attackers wore military fatigues and one donned a Kashmiri pheran, blending seamlessly with the locals.

The Pahalgam attack has reignited tensions between India and Pakistan, with India blaming cross-border terror links and Pakistan denying involvement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth,” granting security forces “complete operational freedom.” But freedom alone isn’t enough when the enemy wields tools that render them invisible.

The use of body cameras by the terrorists, as seen in the attack, suggests a level of sophistication that demands a rethink of counter-terrorism strategies. India must invest in advanced decryption technologies and explore ways to monitor or regulate dual-use apps like Alpine Quest without stifling innovation.

As the manhunt continues, the scars of Pahalgam linger. Families like the Hegdes, who narrowly escaped, and survivors like Rishi Bhatt, who captured the horror, remind us of the human cost. The meadows of Baisaran, once a symbol of Kashmir’s beauty, now echo with grief.

Security forces are racing against time, but the terrorists’ technological edge – Ultra Sets’ unbreakable codes and Alpine Quest’s offline navigation – keeps them one step ahead. This is not just a battle of guns and grit; it’s a war of wits in a digital age. India must outsmart these shadows, or the meadows of Kashmir will remain a battleground.

The author is a defence analyst