Srinagar: The NIA on Monday carried out raids at 13 locations in the Valley as part of its clampdown on “terrorist outfits and their offshoots and affiliates disrupting peace and communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir by spreading terror,” officials said.
The raids were conducted in Anantnag, Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian and Budgam districts of Kashmir during which incriminating material and documents were seized, a spokesman of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said.
He said the agency launched extensive searches at 13 locations of “sympathisers, cadres, hybrid terrorists and overground workers (OGWs) linked with newly formed offshoots and affiliates of several proscribed Pak-backed terror organisations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr and Al-Qaeda.”
The raids were part of the ongoing investigations of the NIA in a terror conspiracy case, “involving the activities of OGWs and cadres in support of various newly launched outfits, like The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir (ULFJandK), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF, among others,” the agency said in statement.
Besides terrorist and violent activities, the NIA said, these cadres and workers had been found involved in collection and distribution of sticky bombs and magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotics and arms and ammunition.
The NIA investigations had further revealed that “Pak-based operatives were involved in delivery of arms and ammunition, explosives, narcotics etc to these cadres and workers in Kashmir via drones. Social media platforms were also being widely used by the operatives across the border to connect with OGWs and cadres in the valley.”
The NIA had registered the case suo motu on June 21 last year. The matter related to conspiracy and plans, hatched physically as well in cyberspace, by these proscribed terrorist organisations, the statement said.
“The conspirators aimed to unleash violent terrorist attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms etc, as part of a larger conspiracy to commit acts of terror and violence by radicalising local youth and mobilising and deploying overground workers,” it said.
In connection with the investigation of this case, since the beginning of this month, the NIA has conducted more than 70 searches in the Union Territory, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the NIA on Monday filed a supplementary charge-sheet against an accused in the case related to activities of The Resistance Front, “an offshoot of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba”, an official said.
Faisal Muneer alias “Ali Bhai”, a resident of Jammu’s Talab Khatikan area, is the fourth accused to be charge-sheeted in the case, which was registered suo moto by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on November 18, 2021, a spokesperson for the federal anti-terror agency said.
In its supplementary charge-sheet filed in the special NIA court, Patiala House, here, the agency has charged Muneer under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the official said.
The spokesperson said he is accused of conspiring with Pakistan-based operatives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the The Resistance Front (TRF) for transportation of firearms and explosives, dropped by drones from Pakistan to carry out terrorist acts in India.
“Muneer had entered into a conspiracy with his handlers based across the border to deliver the consignments of weapons and explosives to active terrorist commanders and operatives of these outfits for the commission of terror acts in India,” the spokesperson said.
The official said that as part of the conspiracy hatched with other co-accused and handlers of the LeT and the TRF, Muneer had actively worked for the terror groups and received funds from LeT operatives with the intent to further its terror activities.
The NIA had earlier filed a charge-sheet against Arsalan Feroz alias “Arsalan Soub”, Muzamil Mushtaq Bhat alias “Hamza” and Mudasir Ahmed Dar on June 18, November 9 and December 17, respectively, last year.
The three accused, “found working as overground workers at the behest of LeT and TRF operatives”, were charged under various sections of the law.
“During investigations, it emerged that Muneer was working as an active overground worker of the LeT/TRF and was involved in receiving, collecting and supplying weapons, explosives and funds.
“These materials were sent from Pakistan via drones in the areas situated near the International Border area of Samba and Kathua (districts) for carrying out terrorist activities in India. After receiving the consignments from his associates, Muneer used to store them at his residence for onward delivery to terrorist operatives and their overground workers on the directions of the LeT/TRF operatives based across the border,” the spokesperson said.
