NIA Arrests 9 People For Militant Links After Multiple Raids In J&K.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested nine alleged militant associates during multiple raids in Jammu and Kashmir.

The raids come after registration of a case over a conspiracy launch attacks in the union territory and other major cities including New Delhi, an official said on Wednesday.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered the case on October 10 and initiated an investigation.

An NIA spokesperson said a total of nine people were arrested — five on Wednesday and four a day earlier — after multiple searches in different districts of the valley over the past two days.

The NIA identified the five accused arrested on Wednesday as Mohammad Haneed Chiralu and Arif Farooq Bhat of Srinagar, Hafeez of Budgam, Owais Dar of Pulwama and Mateen Bhat of Shopian.

The NIA also said during the day that four accused people — Waseem Ahmad Sofi, Tariq Ahmad Dar, Bilal Ahmad Mir alias Bilal Fafu and Tariq Ahmad Bafanda, all residents of Srinagar — were arrested during the searches carried out at 16 locations in Srinagar, Pulwama and Shopian districts on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said preliminary investigation has revealed that the nine arrested accused are militant associates or Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of various proscribed organisations and have been providing logistical and material support to militants and facilitating them in their nefarious designs.

“During the searches conducted yesterday (Tuesday), several electronic devices, incriminating Jihadi (holy war) documents and records of suspicious financial transactions were seized,” the spokesperson said.

The NIA said the case pertains to alleged hatching of a conspiracy both physically and in cyberspace to carry out violent acts in Jammu and Kashmir and other major cities, including New Delhi, by the cadres of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al Badr and other similar outfits and their affiliates such as The Resistance Front (TRF) and People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF).

The spokesperson said these militants and cadres have effected several militant acts including the killing of numerous innocent civilians and security personnel, and unleashed a “reign of terror” in the Kashmir valley, thereby challenging the writ of the state.