The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday carried out raids at multiple locations in four districts of Kashmir valley in a terrorism network case filed this year which has identified Pakistani masterminds, the agency said.
“Continuing to rein in the networks of terror outfits, State Investigation Agency, Kashmir today conducted searches at multiple locations spread across valley,”it said in a statement.
SIA was formed last year to fast track investigations in terrorism cases and also to coordinate with other state and central probing agencies. Since the beginning of this year, the agency has filed multiple cases into terrorist networks, their alleged supporters and over the ground workers, funding, and misuse of SIM cards.
SIA raided many places across three districts of south Kashmir and Baramulla district in north Kashmir on Tuesday. The agency claimed that the details that are being investigated at the initial stage also include people in Pakistan.
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“(They) include masterminds in Pakistan who with active support of Pakistani Intelligence Agencies and in connivance with proscribed terrorist organization(s) of JeM based in Pakistan have been activating their upper ground workers (OGWs) in J&K for initiating, organizing and executing terror activities in J&K,” said SIA.
{{/usCountry}}“(They) include masterminds in Pakistan who with active support of Pakistani Intelligence Agencies and in connivance with proscribed terrorist organization(s) of JeM based in Pakistan have been activating their upper ground workers (OGWs) in J&K for initiating, organizing and executing terror activities in J&K,” said SIA.
{{/usCountry}}“The Pakistani masterminds have been comprehensively identified. Their particulars, however, are being kept confidential because other agents connected with them are not alerted,” it added.
The SIA sleuths “house searched” the premises of various “suspects” in Pulwama, Awantipora (a separate police district in Pulwama ), Shopian, Anantnag in south Kashmir and Baramulla in north.
“(The searches were made) in connection with the investigation of case FIR No. 16/2022 u/s 13, 18, 19, 38, 39, 40 UA(P) Act read with 120-B, 121 IPC registered in Police Station CIK (SIA), Kashmir,” it said.
During the searches, the agency said, incriminating materials, mobile phones and other articles having “bearing on the investigation” were recovered and seized.
“Analysis of the data will follow and leads that will emerge will become the basis for further investigation,” it added.
SIA said that the case pertains to what it said was a “terrorist grid active in valley”. “The searches are aimed at dismantling the terror ecosystem in the valley by identifying over ground workers supporting and abetting terrorism,” it added.