Pak-backed terror conspiracy case: NIA conducts searches at 12 locations in J&K

Srinagar, May 02 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday swooped down on multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir in the Pakistan-backed terrorist conspiracy case.

As per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the searches conducted at a total of 12 locations, continued till late in the evening. “While 11 of these locations were located in the Kashmir valley (8 in Pulwama district, 1 each in Kulgam, Anantnag and Budgam districts), one was under way in district Poonch in Jammu,” a statement issued by the NIA said, adding that “The case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU) related to the hatching of a conspiracy, both physical and in cyberspace, and plans by proscribed terrorist organisations to execute violent terrorist attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms.”

The statement said that the plans are part of a larger conspiracy by the terrorist groups to commit terror acts in association with local youths/overground workers in order to create communal disharmony in J&K. “The terrorist outfits involved in the conspiracy were identified as Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, besides others,” the statement said.

The NIA said that searches were also being carried out in the premises of cadres and hybrid over ground workers linked with the affiliates and offshoots of these organisations, operating under pseudo names such as “The Resistance Front (TRF)”, “United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (UL J&K)”, “Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH)”, “Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF)”, Kashmir Tigers, PAAF and others.

The statement said that initial investigations by the NIA indicated that these workers and cadres were involved in collection and distribution of sticky bombs or magnetic bombs, IEDs, cash, narcotics and small weapons. “These weapons, bombs, narcotics etc were being pushed on to the Indian soil by PaK-based handlers and commanders of proscribed terrorist organisations using drones to the terrorists’ active in the Kashmir valley,” it stated.

The NIA had conducted similar multiple searches in the said terror conspiracy case at 14 locations in Jammu and Kashmir on 24th June last year. “The searches, conducted then in the districts of Srinagar, Baramula, Pulwama, Anantnag Budgam and Kathua, had led to the seizure of incriminating material and digital devices. NIA had registered a suo motu case on 21st June 2022 about the terrorist conspiracy,” the statement said—(KNO)