NIA raids 8 places in Jammu and Kashmir, seizes incriminating material

In connection with the terror conspiracy hatched and operationalized by the offshoots of the banned terrorist organisations backed by Pakistan, including Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, and Al-Qaeda, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided eight locations across Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

Seven districts in Jammu and Kashmir — Poonch, Shopian, Pulwama, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kupwara, and Srinagar — were among the locations that were raided. The residences of hybrid terrorists and Overground Workers (OGWs) connected to recently established affiliates and offshoots of the terrorist groups that are prohibited were among the seized places.

The premises of the cadres and supporters of these recently established parties, which included Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Party, The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir (ULFJ-K), and Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), were also subject to extensive searches.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has been looking into the plot of the recently formed offshoots of the banned terror groups to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir through violent terrorist attacks and activities, seized several digital devices containing copious amounts of incriminating data and documents as a result of the searches.

In order to investigate the involvement of cadres, overground workers, and other suspects of the new outfits in the gathering and distribution of sticky bombs, magnetic bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), money, drugs, and weapons and ammunition to spread terror, violence, and subversion in Jammu and Kashmir, the NIA had suo moto registered the case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU) on June 21 of last year.

Thus far, the NIA’s investigations have shown that operatives stationed in Pakistan were not only utilising drones to supply weapons and ammunition, explosives, and drugs to their cadres and operatives in the Kashmir valley, but also using social media platforms to incite terror.

“These activities were being carried out as part of the terror conspiracy hatched by the banned outfits, backed by their masters in Pakistan. The conspiracy also involved radicalization of local youth and mobilization of OGWs to carry out violent and disruptive activities in Jammu and Kashmir,” said the NIA.

(With agency inputs)