NIA attaches house of key conspirator in Srinagar arms seizure case

Plans to intensify efforts to dismantle terror networks in coming days

New Delhi, Jan 06  : Continuing with its crackdown on terrorist groups, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday attached the house of a key conspirator in the 2022 Chanapora arms seizure case of Kashmir.

In a statement, issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a spokesperson said that the property of accused Aamir Mushtaq Ganaie, identified as one of the masterminds in the case RC -4/22/NIA/JMU, was attached today as ‘proceeds of terrorism’ by an NIA team in Kiran Colony in Chanapore region of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.

The statement reads that the accused had used the proceeds of terror for conspiring and committing terror crimes against the nation.

“According to NIA investigations, 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,” it reads.

It added that 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@ Hamza.”

“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 radicalizing, 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.”

It reads that the 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.

It added that the 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 18th June 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.”—(KNO)