Srinagar (J&K): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday attached the residential property of an accused linked to a weapon recovery case in the Chanapora area of Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir, sources said. According to reliable sources, a joint operation involving the NIA, local police, and CRPF was executed early Saturday morning.
The focus of this operation was the attachment of the property belonging to Mushtaq Ahmad, son of Abdul Ganaie, residing in Khan Colony, Chanapora, in uptown area of Srinagar. "The house in question has been secured in connection with case RC 4/22, which revolves around the recovery of weapons in the area," sources said.
In a detailed statement issued in this regard, a NIA spokesperson said, “Continuing with its crackdown on terrorist groups, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday attached the house of a key conspirator in the 2022 Chanapora arms seizure case of Kashmir”. “The property of accused Aamir Mushtaq Ganaie, identified as one of the masterminds in the case RC -4/22/NIA/JMU, was attached today as 'proceeds of terrorism' by an NIA team in Khan Colony in Chanapora area of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir,” the NIA said.
It said that the accused had “used the proceeds of terror for conspiring and committing terror crimes against the nation”. According to the NIA, investigations revealed that Ganaie and his associates were cadres of 'The Resistance Front (TRF)', an offshoot of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit. “They were associated with their Pakistan-based handlers / operative / commanders of LeT/TRF,” it said.
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NIA attaches House of Key Conspirator in Chanapora Arms Seizure Case of Kashmir pic.twitter.com/lo1SXRfaYr
— NIA India (@NIA_India) January 6, 2024 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">NIA attaches House of Key Conspirator in Chanapora Arms Seizure Case of Kashmir pic.twitter.com/lo1SXRfaYr
— NIA India (@NIA_India) January 6, 2024NIA attaches House of Key Conspirator in Chanapora Arms Seizure Case of Kashmir pic.twitter.com/lo1SXRfaYr
— NIA India (@NIA_India) January 6, 2024
“The case was part of a larger conspiracy relating to drone dropping of weapons and money by a Pakistan-based module operating in J&K, investigations have revealed. The main kingpin of this drone dropping, namely Faisal Muneer, was earlier arrested and chargesheeted by NIA, which found him to be involved in receiving weapons consignments sent from across the border by one Sajjad Gul alias Hamza,” added the NIA.
“After receiving these weapons, Faisal used to deliver them in Srinagar to Amir Mushtaq Ganaie, who further distributed them to active cadres/terrorists of TRF/LeT for the purpose of carrying out targeted killings in J&K with the aim of spreading terror among the people,” it said. The accused, as per the NIA, “were also engaged in radicalizing, motivating and instigating vulnerable youth to join TRF/LeT and other terror outfits in Kashmir”.
“Besides arms and ammunition, NIA investigators had recovered several incriminating materials, including chats about terror funds, from the mobile phones of the accused persons. NIA has established that the accused had been carrying out terrorist activities for a long time, thereby threatening the security, integrity and sovereignty of India,” it said.
NIA had taken over the case, initially registered by Chanapora police in May 2022, and re-registered it at the agency's Jammu branch office on 18th June 2022. The agency said it “intends to intensify its efforts to dismantle all terror networks and demolish their support infrastructure by attaching and seizing their properties in the coming days”.
The Srinagar Police in May 2023 had apprehended two local hybrid militants associated with the proscribed militant outfit LeT/TRF. The arrested individuals were allegedly involved in illicit activities, prompting the recovery of incriminating materials, arms, and ammunition. According to police sources, the seized items included a significant arsenal: 15 pistols, 30 magazines, 300 rounds of ammunition, and one silencer.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the case was swiftly handed over to the NIA for further investigation, underscoring the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies to maintain security and address threats in the region, a police officer said. Pertinently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had in December last year also launched raids at multiple locations in Kashmir valley in connection with an alleged terror funding case.
It can be recalled that the raids were conducted by the NIA sleuths assisted by Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) at at least seven locations in Kashmir valley and one in Jammu in connection with the terror funding case.
