Raids at 5 more locations across Kashmir in militant conspiracy case: NIA

'Hybrid militants of shadow outfits of banned organisations under scanner'

New Delhi, July 13: As part of its ongoing investigations in the Jammu and Kashmir militants conspiracy case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said that it conducted another round of raids at the premises of hybrid militants and Overground Workers (OGWs) of the outfits and affiliates of Pakistan-backed banned organisations.

The agency in a statement that some of these newly-floated outfits, The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba, have been found issuing threats of carrying out attacks in J&K over the social media.

“Raids were conducted today at five locations in the three districts of Shopian, Awantipora and Pulwama. The NIA also raided the premises of sympathisers and cadres of the newly floated outfits, namely The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF and others,” the statement said. These outfits are affiliated to various banned Pak-backed organisations like Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, etc.

The agency said that several digital devices containing large volumes of incriminating data were recovered by NIA during today’s searches, which have once again put the spotlight on OGWs as an important part of the terror ecosystem in the Valley, which is being dismantled on a continuous basis. Also known as hybrid militants , they provide support to militants and militants based in Pakistan.

The NIA had registered a suo moto case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU) on 21st June 2022 to investigate the involvement of the cadres and OGWs of the various outfits in spreading activities relating to terror, violence and subversion in J&K. These cadres and workers have been involved in the collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotic substances and arms/ammunitions. NIA investigations have revealed that Pak-based operatives were using social media platforms to promote terror. Drones were being used by them to deliver arms/ammunition, explosives, narcotics etc. to their operatives and cadres in the Kashmir valley, it said. The terror conspiracy relates to plotting by the banned outfits in both physical and cyber space to unleash violent militant attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms etc. The organisations, supported by their masters in Pakistan, have been conspiring to commit acts of terror and violence, by radicalizing local youth and mobilizing overground workers, to disturb peace and communal harmony in J&K, it said.