SRINAGAR: National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday produced a chargesheet against five persons, which included 3 Pakistan-based LeT handlers, in a case related to attacks in January 2023 in Rajouri district.

“Pushing ahead with its efforts to destroy and dis ismantle the terrorist ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday charge-sheeted five accused, including three absconding Pakistan-based handlers of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, in the Rajouri attacks case of January 2023,” reads a statement issued to GNS.

“The case RC-01 & 02/2023/NIA/JMU, relates to a heinous terror attack on civilians at village Dhangri, District Rajouri on 1st January 2023, followed by an IED blast the next day. Seven innocent people, including two children, were killed and several others severely injured in the attacks,” reads the statement.

“Three of chargesheeted individuals are LeT handlers, identified as Saifullah @ Sajid Jutt @ Ali @ Habibullah @ Numan @ Langda @ Noumi, Mohd Qasim, and Abu Qatal @ Qatal Sindhi. While Abu Qatal and Sajit Jutt are Pakistani nationals, Qasim had exfiltrated to Pakistan sometime around 2002 and had joined the LeT terrorist ranks there.”

 “As per investigations, the trio had orchestrated the recruitment and dispatch of LeT terrorists from Pakistan to target innocent civilians, particularly from the minority community in Jammu & Kashmir, as well as security personnel. The attacks were carried out under the directions of these Pakistan-based handlers,” reads the statement.

“Saifullah @ Sajid Jutt is currently a highly placed LeT Commander, and was responsible for engineering the overall conspiracy from Pakistan, along with the other two. Mohd Qasim is presently the right hand of highly placed LeT Commanders. Abu Qatal had come to India in 2002-03 and was active in the Poonch-Rajouri range, along with other terrorists.”

“The other two charge-sheeted accused are Nisar Ahmed @ Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain @ Chacha, both Overground workers (OGWs) of the LeT and are residents of Mohra, Gursai, Tehsil Mendhar, District Poonch. The duo was arrested during the course of the investigations by the NIA,” reads the statement.

“It was found during investigations that they had provided logistical support to the terrorists on the directions of Abu Qatal. Along with a juvenile, who was also apprehended for aiding and abetting the perpetrators, they had provided food, shelter, and other types of logistics support to the terrorists for approximately three months following the attack in Dhangri. They had also attempted to conceal evidence by destroying the mobile phone used for clandestine communication with the Pakistan-based LeT commanders,” reads the statement.

“Nisar had also received consignment of arms, ammunition and cash sent by the Pakistan based handlers for the terrorists.  Investigations have revealed that Nisar had come in contact with Abu Qatal during the latter’s stay in India. He had remained in touch with Abu Qatal even after the latter’s return to Pakistan.”

“In the Chargesheet filed today, the two arrested adult accused and the Pak-based handlers have been charged under UA(P) Act and various sections of IPC. The Final Report against the apprehended juvenile will be submitted to the Hon’ble Juvenile Justice Board, Rajouri in due course,” reads the statement further. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Police on Tuesday said that, NIA court Pulwama declared Ashiq Ahmed Nengroo son of Ghulam Ahmed Nengroo resident of Hanjan Bala of PS Rajpora a proclaimed offender on the application moved by Pulwama Police. Ashiq Nengroo @Molvi is also declared as individual terrorist by MHA in the year 2022. 

In a handout to GNS, the police said that Ashiq Ahmed Nengroo managed to exfiltrate to PoK in the year 2018 and is currently carrying out anti-national activities from PoK and is alluring the local youths in the terrorism. He is involved in many FIRs including 42/2022, 50/2023 of PS Rajpora, 129/2013 of PS Pulwama, 89/2018 of PS Jaggerkotli Jammu and 191/2018 of PS Kathua, 20/2019 of PS Awantipora, 188/2020 of PS Pulwama and in many Anti national and terrorism related cases. After exfiltrating PoK he managed many drone dropping, weapon delivery and hawala money to keep the terrorist activities alive in the UT.

The police spokesman further stated that his name has surfaced in many FIRs in recent time, where he approach the local youth on social media, misguided them to join the terrorist ranks and also tasked them for weapon transport etc. He misguided Ruhail Abdullah son of Mohd Abdullah of Nulli Shopian involved in FIR number 116/2023 of PS Litter, Shahbaz Ahmed Dar son of Gh Hasan Dar resident of Gulshanabad involved in FIR No. 331/2023 of PS Pulwama, reads the statement. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday said that it raided multiple locations across Jammu and Kashmir as part of its crackdown on the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in a terror funding case.
 
In a handout to GNS, the NIA said that its teams swooped down on the premises of various suspects at five locations in Srinagar, three in Budgam, two in Kulgam, one in Anantnag and four in Jammu. Incriminating documents and digital devices connected with the activities of JeI and its related Trusts in J&K were seized during the extensive searches, which also led to the recovery of over 20 lakh rupees in cash.
 
The NIA spokesman further stated that NIA investigations in the case, registered on 5th February 2021, have so far revealed that JeI and its members have continued to promote  terrorist and secessionist activities in J&K even after the outfit was proscribed under UA(P) Act in February 2019. Operatives of the banned organisation had been collecting funds through donations from within India and abroad. 
 
The funds were collected mainly in the form of Zakat, Mowda and Bait-ul-Mal, purported to promote charity and other welfare activities, such as health and education, but were instead being used for carrying out violent and secessionist activities, as per NIA investigations, he said.
 
It was further found that the funds raised by JeI were also being channelled to other proscribed terrorist organisations, such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) etc, through well organised networks of JeI cadres. JeI was also engaged in motivating impressionable youth and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in J&K to further its nefarious and secessionist activities, he said.
 
NIA had earlier chargesheeted 4 accused persons in the case, in which investigations are continuing, reads the statement.(GNS)

SRINAGAR: National Investigation Agency on Tuesday said that they have filed chargehseet against a Pak resident and two Over Ground Workers of Lashkar-i-Toiba oufit.

In a handout to GNS, the NIA said that tightening its noose further around Pakistan-backed terrorist organisations operating in Jammu & Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday charge-sheeted three more persons, affiliated with an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), for conspiring to unleash violent terrorist attacks with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms etc. 
 
The spokesman further stated that the chargesheeted accused include a Pakistani national Habibullah Malik @ Sajid Jutt @ Saifullah @ Noomi @ Numan @ Langda @ Ali Sajid @ Usman Habib @ Shani, hailing from Kasur district in Pak Punjab. He has been found to have been involved in various terrorist attacks in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
 
Habibullah, along with Hilal Yaqooob Deva @ Sethi Soab and Musiab Fayaz Baba @ Shoaib @ Zarar, both hailing from Shopian in Kashmir, has been named in the Supplementary Chargesheet filed today before the NIA Special Court, Jammu, under the relevant sections of IPC and UA (P) Act, 1967. The Supplementary chargesheet follows investigations in the case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU) registered suo-motu by the NIA on 21st June 2022. The case relates to a conspiracy hatched physically as well as in cyberspace by various proscribed terrorist organisations to spread fear and terror and disrupt peace in J&K, he said.
 
Investigations so far have  revealed that the chargesheeted trio had entered into a criminal conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks on security forces and others in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir with the intention to wage war against the Government of India. Habibullah Malik was an active Commander of Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the proscribed LeT terror outfit. He was engaged in motivating vulnerable Kashmiri youth to join the TRF/LeT for carrying out terrorist activities in J&K, he said.
 
As per NIA investigations, Habibullah had radicalised the other two accused, Hilal and Musiab, both of whom had started working as Over Ground Workers (OGWs) for him. On Habibullah’s directions, the two OWGs had collected and transported funds and weapons from/to his other OGWs to facilitate and support terror attacks in J&K, he said.
 
The entire conspiracy was found to be part of the bigger plans of the banned terrorist outfits to commit acts of terror and violence by indoctrinating local youth and mobilising overground workers to disturb peace and communal harmony in J&K, he said. 
 
With the various banned terrorist organisations floating new outfits to carry out their terror related activities in J&K, the NIA has stepped up its crackdown and investigations in the region in recent months. Under the NIA scanner are outfits such as 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. These outfits are affiliated to Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, etc. 

The anti-terror agency has intensified its operations to thwart the conspiracy of these organisations to revive terrorism and disturb the peace and communal harmony of Jammu & Kashmir, reads the statement.(GNS)

SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency on Tuesday carried out raids at several locations in the Kashmir Valley officials said.

Official sources told news agency Kashmir Scroll that the raids were conducted in the Baramulla, and Shopian districts of the Kashmir valley.

During the raids, the NIA sleuths were accompanied by the Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF personnel.

They said that searches were going on and further details will be shared later.(KS)