Representational Photo
Jammu- At least ten alleged over-ground workers of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) were rounded up by the sleuths of State Investigation Agency (SIA) in overnight raids in various districts of south and central Kashmir, officials said Wednesday.
The raids carried out at ten different locations in south and central Kashmir were primarily focused on the network of JeM, a police spokesperson said Wednesday. He said that ten identified persons who were part of OGW modules and taking instructions from JeM commanders have been arrested.
The SIA was constituted last year with a mandate to investigate crimes connected with militancy and secessionism.
The module whose members were organised in to sub-modules, in the form of verticals, so that in the event of detection of one member the bigger network does not get compromised had been painstakingly discovered through discreet surveillance in which corroborative intelligence capable of being converted to admissible evidence in court was used to ascertain and confirm the JESH OGW membership of the individuals,” the police spokesperson said.
The module, he said, could be connected to other modules through higher levels of JeM leadership. He said their discovery is likely as the investigation rolls out in coming days.
“The detected portion of the module had been active in recruiting other young persons, arranging finances, transporting weapons in south and central Kashmir besides providing other logistic support,” he added.
In the searches, the police spokesperson said that besides arrests, cell phones, SIM cards, records to show use of banking channels and even a dummy pistol were seized.
Among arrested persons, he said, there is one at whose house four militants had been killed on 4th of April 2020.
“The hitherto unknown module was working towards furthering terror activities in south and central Kashmir. The arrested members were mostly recruiting vulnerable school and college going students as a few of them are students themselves. They were in close connection with the regular terrorists of JESH outfit and had been under surveillance for quite some time,” he said.
“The digital records seized are being sent to FSL for evidence analysis and the arrested persons would be presented before the NIA court in Srinagar seeking permission for custodial questioning,” he added.
The police spokesperson further said that it is believed the arrests and subsequent follow up investigation would dent the upper ground network of JeM and degrade its ability to undertake militant activities across the valley.
NIA Raids 9 Spots
The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday carried out raids at nine locations in Kashmir Valley in connection with a case regarding recovery of IED from Bhatindi Area of Jammu in June last year, officials said.
“NIA in coordination with Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF carried out searches at 9 locations in the districts of Srinagar (2 locations), Kupwara (2), Anantnag (1), Pulwama (1), Bandipora (1), Kulgam (1 location) and Baramulla (1 location) in NIA case RC-04/2021/NIA/JMU,” NIA said in a statement.
The case pertains to recovery of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from Bhatindi area of Jammu, it said. “After investigation five accused persons have been arrested in the instant case till date, out of which three accused were chargesheeted on 22.12.2021,” NIA said, adding, “During the searches conducted today incriminating material and digital devices have been seized from the premises of suspects in the case.”
Further Investigation in the case continues, the NIA added.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |