On April 22, 2025, 26 tourists were brutally killed by a group of gunmen in Jammu & Kashmir. Now, in a shocking claim, model Ekta Tiwari, who hails from Jaunpur, claimed that she had unknowingly come into contact with two of the suspected terrorists.
Tiwari, who returned home just a couple of days before the attack, alleged that the sketches released by the authorities acted as mule handlers and were with her group the entire time.
In a conversation with News 18, the model said, “We left Pahalgam on April 21. Now, after seeing the sketches released by the authorities, I realise I had a close brush with death.”
“Two unknown men came along with the mule handler. They started asking me about Ajmer. I told them I had never been there. Then they began questioning me about Amarnath Yatra – how many people had come, what our religion was, etc. I was scared and didn’t reveal the truth. They also asked personal questions about my husband and marriage. Then they asked if I read the Quran and what religion I follow more. One even claimed to be a Quran teacher,” she further added.
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Ekta also claimed that the men forced them to go to Baisaran Valley, but they did not go. She said, “They insisted on taking us to Baisaran Valley, but we didn’t go. They were angry and misbehaved with us. We even have videos of the incident. More than half of our group returned early. Out of the sketches released, I recognise one of the terrorists.”
She said, “These individuals misbehaved with me for not reading the Quran and for wearing a rudraksha mala. One of the mule handlers even had a keypad phone hidden inside his shoe.”
Ekta said, “It’s terrifying to think we were so close to danger. I strongly feel that people with such extreme ideologies should not be allowed to mingle with tourists or hide in plain sight.”