The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday raided different locations in three districts of south Kashmir in a militant conspiracy case which was related to launching a series of attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms.
The agency said the action was aimed to crackdown on newly-floated militant organisations which are “offshoots of proscribed Pakistan-backed terrorist outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir”.
In a statement, the agency said they conducted raids at five locations in the three districts of Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama in Kashmir Valley, and seized several digital devices containing “massive incriminating data”.
“The locations raided on Tuesday were residential premises of hybrid terrorists and overground workers (OGWs) linked with the newly-formed offshoots and affiliates of several banned Kashmiri terrorist outfits,” said the statement.
The newly-floated outfits under investigation 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.
The agency said the premises of alleged sympathisers and cadres of these organisations were also raided. “All these cadres and workers are being investigated for activities relating to terror, violence and subversion in J&K,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}The agency said the premises of alleged sympathisers and cadres of these organisations were also raided. “All these cadres and workers are being investigated for activities relating to terror, violence and subversion in J&K,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}The NIA suspects their involvement in the collection and distribution of sticky bombs, magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotic substances and arms & ammunition.
The case, called by the agency as ‘J&K terror conspiracy’ (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU), was registered suo-moto on June 21, 2022. “It relates to a physical and online conspiracy by the banned terror organisations to launch a series of violent terrorist attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms etc,” it said.
The NIA said the Pakistan-backed outfits are also engaged in radicalising local youth and mobilising overground workers, to disturb peace and communal harmony in J&K.
“As per NIA investigations, Pak-based operatives behind the conspiracy were using various social media platforms to spread terror among people. They were also using drones to deliver arms/ammunition, explosives, narcotics etc. to their agents and cadres in the Kashmir valley,” it said.
These outfits are affiliated to major banned organisations such as Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, it said.