2022 arms seizure case: NIA attaches house of key conspirator in Srinagar

The police had recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunition two years ago that was used for subversive activities in Kashmir

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday attached a house at Chanpora Srinagar that belonged to key conspirator in the 2022 arms seizure case.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) attaches the house of Mushtaq Ahmad in Srinagar, India on 06 January 2024. NIA spokesman said that the property of Mushtaq Ahmad in Chanapora area of Srinagar was attached in recovery of arms and ammunition case. In the past many houses have been attached by the security agencies in Kashmir. (Waseem Andrabi /HT Photo)

The police had recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunition two years ago that was used for subversive activities in Kashmir.

NIA in a statement on Saturday said continuing with its crackdown on terrorist groups, the agency attached the house of accused Aamir Mushtaq Ganaie, identified as one of the masterminds in the case RC -4/22/NIA/JMU, was attached on Saturday as ‘proceeds of terrorism’ by an NIA team in Kiran Colony in Chanapore region of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.

“The accused had used the proceeds of terror for conspiring and committing terror crimes against the nation,” the NIA said in statement adding that Ganaie and his associates were cadres of ‘The Resistance Front (TRF)’, an offshoot of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit. They were associated with their Pakistan-based handlers / operative / commanders of LeT/TRF.

“The case was part of a larger conspiracy relating to drone dropping of weapons and money by a Pakistan-based module operating in J&K, investigations have revealed. The main kingpin of this drone dropping, namely Faisal Muneer, was earlier arrested and chargesheeted by NIA, which found him to be involved in receiving weapons consignments sent from across the border by one Sajjad Gul, alias Hamza,” the spokesman said.

He said after receiving these weapons, Faisal used to deliver them in Srinagar to Amir Mushtaq Ganaie, who further distributed them to active cadres/terrorists of TRF/LeT for the purpose of carrying out targeted killings in J&K with the aim of spreading terror among the people.

“The accused were also engaged in radicalising, motivating and instigating vulnerable youth to join TRF/LeT and other terror outfits in Kashmir. Besides arms and ammunition, NIA investigators had recovered several incriminating materials, including chats about terror funds, from the mobile phones of the accused persons,” he said adding that NIA has established that the accused had been carrying out terrorist activities for a long time, thereby threatening the security, integrity and sovereignty of India.

NIA had taken over the case, initially registered by Chanapora police in May 2022, and re-registered it at the agency’s Jammu branch office on June 18, 2022. The agency intends to intensify its efforts to dismantle all terror networks and demolish their support infrastructure by attaching and seizing their properties in the coming days.