The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out a series of raids in four districts of Kashmir as part of its ongoing investigations into the conspiracy of newly-formed offshoots of banned Pakistan-backed terrorist organisations aiming to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the NIA, the raids targeted 12 locations in Kulgam, Bandipora, Shopian, and Pulwama as part of the latest crackdown on the terror network in the Valley.
The searched locations were residential premises belonging to hybrid terrorists and Over Ground Workers associated with the newly-formed offshoots and affiliates of the proscribed terrorist outfits. The premises of sympathizers and cadres of these organizations were also extensively searched during the operations.
“The NIA has recovered several digital devices containing substantial incriminating data during these searches. The agency will subject them to a thorough examination to unravel the details of the terrorist conspiracy, which it began investigating a year ago after registering a suo moto case on June 21, 2022,” the NIA stated.
The newly-floated terror outfits currently under investigation by the NIA include The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF, and others.
These organizations are affiliated with Pakistan-based outfits such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, and Al-Qaeda, which have been banned by the Government of India.
The individuals whose premises were searched are under the NIA’s scrutiny for their involvement in activities related to the collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), funds, narcotics, and weapons.
The NIA’s investigations reveal that these individuals have been engaged in spreading terror, violence, and subversion in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency further stated that Pakistani operatives were utilizing social media platforms to promote terrorism, while drones were being employed to transport arms, ammunition, explosives, and narcotics to their operatives and cadres in the Kashmir valley.