'Asked them not to go there': Mother of Pahalgam terror attack victim from Karnataka

Manjunath, who had travelled with his family as part of a package tour, was among the 26 people killed in terror attack near Pahalgam.

The family of Manjunath Rao, one of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, is grappling with the pain of a trip that ended in tragedy.

Manjunath Rao (47), a resident of Vijayanagar in Shivamogga district, was killed in the attack while on a family trip with his wife.

His mother recalled how the family had urged him not to travel to Kashmir, only to now find themselves waiting for his mortal remains to return home to Shivamogga, news agency PTI reported.

Still in shock, said the family had expressed concern about the trip. “They left last Friday. I had told them not to go, but they convinced me it would be fine,” she said. “They said they’d be travelling to remote areas, and we hadn’t heard from them for two days. Then we got the news while watching TV. Several leaders have come to meet us since.”

“Yesterday was the worst day of our lives. My sister and her son are safe, but her husband is no more,” Manjunath's brother-in-law Pradeep said on Wednesday, speaking to ANI. “We are expecting the body to arrive by tomorrow morning.”

Manjunath, who had travelled with his family as part of a package tour, was among the 26 people killed when terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists near Pahalgam. The group had arrived in Kashmir on April 8 and was scheduled to return on April 24.

His family members said Manjunath had been in regular contact until two days before the attack. “He had messaged the family group, wishing our mother a happy anniversary,” said his sister. “Pallavi, his sister-in-law, had also called us. The last we heard, they were headed to a remote area.”

Security agencies release sketches

According to news agency PTI, security agencies on Wednesday released sketches of three individuals believed to be involved in the deadly terror attack near Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists.

Officials have identified the suspects as Pakistani nationals, Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha. They are known to have operated under code names Moosa, Yunus, and Asif, respectively.

All three men are linked to previous terror-related incidents in the Poonch.