Pahalgam terror attack: NIA approaches China for seeking info on a GoPro Camera

The NIA had approached the manufacturer of GoPro in Netherlands seeking details on the supply chain and the activation of the device.

New Delhi: A GoPro Hero 12 camera suspected to have been used in April 22 last year’s terror attack at the Baisaran Meadow in Pahalgam has been traced to a distributor in China, according to an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has approached Beijing to seek information on the device.

File photo of Indian security officers inspecting the site a day after where militants indiscriminately opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam, J&K. (AP)

According to an application filed by the federal anti-terror probe agency before a Jammu court, a letter rogatory or LR (a judicial request seeking information from a foreign country) is being issued seeking assistance regarding the camera.

“….during the course of investigation of aforesaid case, various material objects and electronic devices connected with conspiracy and execution of said terrorist attack have been examined. One such crucial electronic device is a GoPro Hero 12 Black Camera, bearing serial No.C3501325471706 which is relevant for establishing pre-attack reconnaissance, movement and operational preparation of terrorist module involved in Pahalgam attack,” according to a Jammu court order on Monday permitting NIA to issue LR to China.

However, GoPro B.V. informed the agency that the camera “was supplied to AE Group International Limited, a distributor based in the People's Republic of China; and was activated on January 30, 2024 at Dongguan, People's Republic of China.”

“The manufacturer has further stated that it does not possess downstream transaction details or end-user records of the said device. The activation, initial use and commercial trail of the said device lie within the territorial jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China, and the information necessary to trace the purchaser, end-user and associated technical records can only be obtained through judicial assistance of the Chinese authorities, hence the application,” according to the court order issued on Monday.

The court allowed the NIA to issue the LR to China.

The April 22 terror attack at the picturesque Baisaran meadow had brought India and Pakistan at the brink of a full-scale war. India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) before the May 10 ceasefire.

Three terrorists -- Suleiman Shah, Hamza Afghani alias Afghan and Jibran -- who shot dead 25 tourists and a pony operator on April 22 at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam were killed by security forces during an encounter on July 28 in Dachigam forest area.