JAMMU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted raids at 15 places here in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with two terror cases –one related to Bathindi IED recovery case and other linked with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Mustafa (LeM), a front of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, the agency said.
Multiple NIA teams along with Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) carried out simultaneous raids at these locations that include Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Anantnag, Jammu and Banihal. The raids were conducted early on Saturday. In LeM case, the agency conducted searches at nine locations in Shopian, Anantnag and Jammu districts of Jammu and Kashmir and arrested a terrorist Irfan Ahmed Dar, a resident of Batingoo in Anantnag. A preliminary investigation has revealed that he was involved in the conspiracy of carrying out terrorist activities in collusion with other arrested accused persons.
The case was initially registered at Gangyal police station Jammu district relating to conspiracy by LeM working at the behest of Jaish-e- Mohammed, to carry out terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir with an intention to threaten sovereignty, integrity and security of India, said the NIA in a statement. During the searches, many digital devices including mobile phones, hard disks, memory cards, pen drives, laptops and many booklets containing incriminating materials have been recovered from the premises of the arrested accused and the suspects in the case, said the agency. The case is related to conspiracy by terror organization LeM nearly a month after the arrest of its chief and his sensational disclosures, including that NSA Ajit Doval’s office in Delhi was filmed for a possible terror attack.
LeM chief Hidayat-ullah Malik was arrested by Anantnag police from Kunjwani area of Jammu on February 6 this year as he was planning to set up a base in the winter capital and also plan terror attacks. The case was initially registered at Gangyal Police station on February 6 under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The NIA re-registered this case on March 2 this year and taken over the investigation. One hand grenade, three magazines and 28 rounds with other incriminating material were recovered from the possession of the arrested terrorist Malik, who had done reconnaissance of many security installations in Jammu and Delhi in 2018 and 2019 for carrying out terror attacks.
Malik has been associated with other terror groups in past and has furthered subversive and terror activities in Kashmir valley. The terror group had also committed a daylight bank robbery in which Rs 60 lakh were looted from Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Main Branch Shopian in November 2020. In Bathindi Improvised Explosive Device (IED) recovery case, NIA with the assistance of Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF conducted searches at six locations of arrested accused and suspected persons in Shopian and Ramban districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The case was initially registered on June 27 this year at Bahu Fort police station in Jammu relating to recovery of 5 kgs of IED from a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist in Bathindi at the same day, mentions NIA statement. It was a conspiracy by LeT to cause an explosion in Jammu using the IED, said the agency, adding it had re-registered the case on July 19 this year and took over the investigation.
During the searches conducted during the day on Saturday, the NIA said it recovered many digital devices including mobile phones, pen drives, shells of used bullets, CDs, plastic face masks that are used during stone pelting, memory cards, hand written jehadi material, ID card of Al-aqsa media and other incriminating materials have been recovered.
