Pakistan has increased the bounty for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar to 7 million Pakistani rupees or Rs 24.09 lakh in Indian currency, while the country’s Federal Investigation Agency continues to list him among its most-wanted terrorists.
Four of his aides were also reported to have died. Five terrorists hijacked the aircraft while it was flying from Kathmandu to Delhi. Azhar survived Operation Sindoor, but members of his family were killed during the offensive. Those killed included Azhar’s elder sister, her husband, a nephew, the nephew’s wife, a niece and five children from the extended family.
Masood Azhar was once in Indian custody but he was released after the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in December 1999. On May 7, India launched strikes against nine sites harbouring terrorist infrastructure following the Pahalgam terror attack. At least 10 members of Azhar’s family were reported killed in the strikes.
