The National Investigation Agency on July 11 conducted searches at five locations in South Kashmir in a terror conspiracy case.
In May this year, the National Investigation Agency had also searched 13 locations in Budgam, Shopian, Pulwama, Srinagar, and Anantnag districts of Jammu & Kashmir in a case that relates to the hatching of a conspiracy by terror outfits through both physical and cyberspace. As per the National Investigation Agency, which registered the case last year, proscribed terrorist organisations hatched plans to unleash violent terrorist attacks in Jammu & Kashmir with sticky bombs, Improvised Explosive Devices (IED)and small arms.
The agency had earlier said that the plans were part of a larger conspiracy by these terrorist outfits to commit acts of terror and violence, in association with local youth and overground workers, to disturb peace and communal disharmony in Jammu & Kashmir.
Earlier, on June 26, the National Investigation Agency had conducted searches at multiple locations in Jammu & Kashmir in connection with a terror-related case registered by the agency last year, officials said.
National Investigation Agency is a specialised law enforcement organisation that fights terrorism. Under a signed decree from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the agency has the authority to handle the investigation of terrorism-related offences across states without the need for special consent from states.
On May 2 last year, the National Investigation Agency had carried out searches at 12 locations in Jammu & Kashmir. The places searched then included 11 in the Kashmir valley (eight in Pulwama district and one each in Kulgam, Anantnag and Budgam districts), and one Poonch in Jammu.
The case was related to the hatching of a conspiracy, both physical and in cyberspace, and plans by proscribed terrorist organisations to execute violent terrorist attacks in Jammu & Kashmir with sticky bombs, Improvised Explosive Devices and small arms.
The terrorist outfits involved in the conspiracy were identified as Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, and Al-Qaeda, among others.
Initial investigations by the National Investigation Agency indicated that these workers and cadres were involved in the collection and distribution of sticky bombs or magnetic bombs, IEDs, cash, narcotics and small weapons “These weapons, bombs, narcotics etc were being pushed onto the Indian soil by Pakistan-based handlers and commanders of proscribed terrorist organisations using drones to the terrorists active in the Kashmir valley,” National Investigation Agency officials said.
On May 21, the National Investigation Agency also arrested Kashmir-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operative for his involvement in a terror conspiracy case in Jammu & Kashmir.
National Investigation Agency also arrested Mohd Ubaid Malik, a resident of Kupwara district in Kashmir, based on inputs that he was in constant touch with a Pakistan-based JeM Commander.
The arrest was conducted as part of the crackdown by the National Investigation Agency against the conspiracies being hatched by proscribed terrorist organisations based across the border to destabilise India through terrorist attacks in Jammu & Kashmir.
The National Investigation Agency had also recovered various incriminating documents from the accused’s possession showing his involvement in the furtherance of terror activities in Jammu & Kashmir.
The National Investigation Agency suo-moto registered the case on June 21 last year. It was related to the conspiracies hatched by cadres and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of various proscribed terrorist organisations in cohorts with their commanders based in Pakistan.
The National Investigation Agency had conducted multiple similar searches in the terror conspiracy case at 14 locations in Jammu & Kashmir on June 24 last year. The searches were in the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Pulwama, Anantnag Budgam and Kathua, which had led to the seizure of incriminating material and digital devices.
