Incriminating material recovered during raids: NIA

Srinagar, Dec 05: 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 terrorist organizations, such as Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, etc, officials said.

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, read a statement, issued by the NIA.

The locations raided were residential premises of hybrid terrorists and Over-ground 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, it added.

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 21st June 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.

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.