NIA raids multiple locations across J&K

NEW DELHI — The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday raided several locations across Jammu & Kashmir in connection with the ‘terror conspiracy’ hatched and operationalised by the offshoots of the banned Pakistan-backed organisations, such as Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, etc.

A spokesman in a statement issued to the news agency KNO said that the teams of NIA cracked down on eight locations in the seven districts of Poonch, Shopian, Pulwama, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kupwara and Srinagar of the Union Territory of J&K.

The locations raided today were residential premises of hybrid terrorists and overground workers (OGWs) associated with the newly-formed affiliates and offshoots of the banned outfits.

“Extensive searches were also conducted at the premises of the cadres and sympathisers of these newly floated organisations, which included The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF, among others,” the statement said.

The searches led to the seizure of several digital devices containing large volumes of incriminating data and documents by the NIA, which has been investigating the conspiracy of the recently launched offshoots of the banned “terror outfits to destabilize J&K through violent terrorist attacks and activities”.

NIA had registered the case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU) suo moto on June 21, 2022 to probe the involvement of the cadres, OGWs and other suspects of the new outfits in the “collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotic substances and arms/ammunition to spread terror, violence and subversion” in J&K.

The statement added that NIA investigations so far have revealed that “Pak-based operatives were using social media platforms to promote terror, and were also using drones to deliver arms/ammunition, explosives, narcotics etc to their operatives and cadres” in the Kashmir valley.

“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 J&K,” the spokesman said.