NIA searches 8 locations in J&K in terror conspiracy case
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out searches at several locations in Jammu & Kashmir in connection with the terror conspiracy hatched and operationalised by the offshoots of the banned Pakistan-backed terrorist organisations, such as Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr and Al-Qaeda.
An NIA official said that multiple teams of NIA cracked down on eight locations in the seven districts of Poonch, Shopian, Pulwama, Baramula, Ganderbal, Kupwara and Srinagar.
The official said that the locations searched were residential premises of hybrid terrorists and Overground Workers (OGWs) associated with the newly-formed affiliates and offshoots of the banned terrorist 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 official 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 destabilise J&K through violent terrorist attacks and activities, the official said.
The anti-terror probe agency had registered the case suo moto on June 21 last year to probe the involvement of the cadres, OGWs and other suspects of the new outfits in the collection and distribution of sticky bombs or magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotic substances and arms/ammunition to spread terror, violence and subversion in J&K.
The official said that its probe so far have revealed that Pakistan-based operatives were using social media platforms to promote terror, and were also using drones to deliver arms or 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 radicalisation of local youth and mobilisation of OGWs to carry out violent and disruptive activities in J&K,” the official added.