Faced with 'sticky bombs' challenge, NIA cracks down on newly floated militant outfits in Kashmir

The day-long raids and searches were conducted at locations in Srinagar and Budgam districts, as part of the ongoing NIA investigations into the activities of the recently formed militant groups, including The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers and PAAF.

Budgam (Jammu and Kashmir):The National Investigation Agency (NIA) continued its crackdown in Kashmir on Wednesday, raiding multiple locations in central Kashmir's Budgam and Srinagar districts in the terror conspiracy case registered by the agency last year.

In the fresh raids, the agency specifically targeted the newly formed militant groups which, it said, were found to be involved in the collection and distribution of sticky or magnetic bombs. Official sources said that NIA personnel with the help of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) and CRPF conducted raids at several locations in Budgam district's Aaripanthan Village.

The NIA officials searched the house of Farooq Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Hasan Bhat and Zubair Ahmed Dar son of late Abdul Hameed Dar, both are residents of Aripathan. Another team raided and searched the residential house of Ali Mohammad Dar son of Ghulam Ahmad Dar in the same village. Raids were also carried out in the Srinagar district. Giving details about the case and the raids, an NIA official said the agency cracked down on the newly floated terrorist outfits in Jammu and Kashmir and seized incriminating literature and several digital devices.

The searches, the official said, were conducted at three locations in the Kashmir valley. "Raids were carried out in the residential premises of sympathizers/cadres, hybrid terrorists and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) linked with the newly-formed offshoots and affiliates of several proscribed Pakistan-backed terror outfits, such as Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), AI-Badr, Al-Qaeda, etc," the official said.

The day-long raids and searches were conducted at locations in Srinagar and Budgam districts, as part of the ongoing NIA investigations into the activities of the recently formed terrorist groups, including The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers and PAAF, the official said.

"A total of 51 locations have been searched in recent days in connection with the terror conspiracy case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU), which was registered suo moto by NIA on 21st June 2022. The case relates to the hatching of a conspiracy, both physical and in cyberspace, and plans by the proscribed terrorist organisations to unleash violent terrorist attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms etc," he said.

The plans are part of a larger conspiracy to carry out acts of terror and violence, by radicalising local youth and mobilising overground workers, to disturb the peace and communal harmony of J&K, the NIA official said. "Cadres and workers of the newly formed organisations have been found to be involved in the collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotic substances and arms/ammunition, etc. They are spreading activities relating to terror, violence and subversion in J&K, as per NIA investigations," the official added.

"Investigations have further revealed that Pak-based operatives are using drones to deliver arms/ ammunitions, explosives, narcotics etc. to their operatives and cadres in the Kashmir valley. These operatives are using social media to connect with the cadres and workers in India," he added.

It should be noted that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids and searches at various places in the district at the beginning of May, and arrested several people in the raids. Similar raids were also carried out in different districts of Kashmir Valley. Apart from the National Investigation Agency, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) has also conducted raids at various locations in the Kashmir Valley in connection with terror funding and other cases.