Srinagar- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out raids at five locations in the Kashmir valley in a crackdown on newly-floated offshoots of proscribed Pakistan-backed militant groups operating in the Union territory, officials said.
The operation was conducted in Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama districts in south Kashmir as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation into a physical and online conspiracy by militants to launch a series of attacks in Jammu and Kashmir with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms.
In the search operation that began in the morning, the agency raided residences of “hybrid terrorists and overground workers (OGWs)” allegedly linked with the “newly-formed offshoots and affiliates” of Kashmiri militant groups, a statement by the NIA spokesperson said.
“Premises of sympathisers and cadres of these organisations were also raided,” it said, adding several digital devices containing massive incriminating data were seized.
The NIA is investigating the newly floated groups, including The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF among others.
These groups are affiliated with major organisations operating from Pakistan like Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, al Qaeda, etc., the statement said.
“All these cadres and workers are being investigated for activities relating to terror, violence, and subversion in J&K. NIA suspects their involvement in the collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotic substances and arms/ammunitions,” it said.
The NIA took over the suo-motu investigation against these groups on June 21 last year.
“As per NIA investigations, Pakistan-based operatives behind the conspiracy used various social media platforms to spread terror among the people. They were also using drones to deliver arms/ammunition, explosives, narcotics etc., to their agents and cadres in the Kashmir valley,” the statement said.
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