9 detained in CIK crackdown across Kashmir
Srinagar, Nov 9: In a sweeping operation aimed at curbing online radicalisation and terror propaganda, the Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) on Sunday detained nine people, including a woman, and seized over a dozen digital devices during multiple raids across Kashmir.
The action follows a similar series of raids carried out inside two jails on Saturday, where investigators were probing the misuse of mobile phones and social media by inmates to coordinate with terror handlers across the border.
Officials said the Sunday raids were conducted after CIK developed credible intelligence about individuals involved in glorifying terrorism online, inciting violence, and spreading communal hatred through social media platforms.
Ten specific locations across Srinagar, Kulgam, Baramulla, Shopian, and Pulwama were raided in coordinated operations, assisted by local police units.
During the searches, CIK teams seized over a dozen mobile phones, SIM cards, tablets, laptops, and other digital gadgets suspected to have been used for spreading radical and anti-national content.
All recovered items have been sent for forensic analysis to retrieve data, conversations, and digital footprints that may provide crucial leads for the ongoing investigation.
CIK officials said that nine suspects had been detained for questioning and that more arrests were likely in the coming days.
“The digital evidence collected is extensive. It will help us identify more individuals and online networks engaged in promoting extremist ideology and instigating violence,” the officials said. “The crackdown is part of a larger strategy to dismantle digital propaganda cells operating within Kashmir.”
Sources said that Saturday’s raids inside jails were carried out following intelligence inputs suggesting that some incarcerated militants and their associates were using smuggled mobile devices to stay in touch with handlers in Pakistan and to influence youth through online platforms.
Several phones and SIM cards were recovered during those searches as well, and the recovered devices are under detailed scrutiny.
Officials said the twin operations – the jail searches and Kashmir-wide crackdown - signify a renewed push by security agencies to target the digital ecosystem of terrorism in Kashmir.
“This is just the beginning of an intensified campaign against online terrorism and unlawful digital activity. The objective is to protect Kashmir’s youth from falling prey to radical influences and to maintain peace in the region,” the CIK officials said.
