Srinagar: National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried searches at multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir a militancy conspiracy case.
“The searches, being conducted at a total of 12 locations, were continuing 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 (division),” NIA said in a statement.
The case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU) related to the hatching of a conspiracy, both physical and in cyberspace, and plans by militant organisations to execute violent attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms, the NIA said.
The plans are part of a “larger conspiracy” by the militant groups to commit militant acts in association with local youths and overground workers in order to create “communal disharmony” in J&K, it said. The militant 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, it said.
“Searches were also being carried out in the premises of cadres and hybrid overground 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.”
Initial investigations indicated that these workers and cadres were involved in collection and distribution of sticky bombs or magnetic bombs, IEDs, cash, narcotics and small weapons, the NIA said. “These weapons, bombs, narcotics etc were being pushed on to the Indian soil by PaK-based handlers and commanders of (militant) organisations using drones to the (militants) active in the Kashmir valley.”
The NIA had conducted similar multiple searches in the said the conspiracy case at 14 locations in Jammu and Kashmir on 24 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, the NIA said. NIA had registered the case suo motu on 21st June 2022. (GNS)