The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday raided seven locations in Kulgam, Srinagar and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir after the targeted killing of civilians by the terrorists in the valley. It arrested two persons in its probe into a Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT)-The Resistance Front (TRF) conspiracy case. The operation was conducted with the assistance of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police. According to an NIA statement, two TRF operatives were arrested for their involvement in the conspiracy. The arrested operatives are Tawseef Ahmed Wani, a resident of Bangdara village in Baramulla and Faiz Ahmed Khan, a resident of Panzat village in Anantnag district.
Specifically, the raids were in the context of a case the NIA had registered in June initially at Bahu Fort police station in Jammu after the recovery of an IED from an LeT terrorist in Bathindi, Jammu. NIA re-registered the case on 19 July this year. NIA was probing the role of “Voice of Hind”—an ISIS publication—in radicalizing Kashmiri youth.
Earlier, three LeT terrorists were arrested in the case.
According to NIA, its investigation revealed that Pakistan-based handlers of proscribed terror outfit LeT and their associates based in Jammu and Kashmir had conspired to cause extensive terror activities to harm the general public. They had planned that responsibility for the terrorist acts so committed would be taken by the pseudo-acronym TRF so as to maintain plausible deniability and evade law enforcement agencies.
During the searches conducted on Sunday, many digital devices including mobiles, pen drives, data storage devices and other incriminating materials have been recovered.
Further investigation is underway.
J&K POLICE OPERATION
Meanwhile, in Bandipora, the Jammu and Kashmir Police busted an LeT (TRF) module and arrested four terror associates involved in the conspiracy behind the killing of a civilian named Mohd Shafi Lone alias Sonu, a resident of Naidkhai.
A special team of Bandipora Police was entrusted with the investigation of the case and after thorough human and technical corroboration, the module was busted by arresting four terrorists associated of LeT (TRF). The arrested terrorist associates have been identified as Tariq Ahmad Dar, Mohammad Shafi Dar, Mudasir Hassan Lone and Bilal Ah Dar, said an official press release by the Jammu and Kashmir police.
However, one of the terrorist associates involved in the killing, identified as Imtiyaz Ah Dar is absconding and has apparently joined the terrorist ranks.
During the course of the investigation, it surfaced that the killing was carried out at the behest and instruction of LeT (TRF) handler Lala Umar, a resident of Pakistan. To carry out the nefarious design, a conspiracy was hatched by a LeT (TRF) module of Shahgund, Hajin area.
The official statement said that the module carried out a thorough recce of the target and all his movements were closely watched.
On the evening, one of the terrorist associates called the victim for a meeting at Gundboon and after reaching the said place, a detailed ambush/trap had already been laid by the other members of the module, the victim was swiftly assassinated.
Further arrests are expected.