The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday carried out coordinated searches across 32 locations in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting Pakistani-backed terror conspiracy networks aimed at destabilizing the region’s peace and communal harmony.

The raids, conducted early in the day, spanned multiple districts including, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama and Sopore, the raids were carried out on the specific intelligence linked to a case registered in 2022. Officials familiar with the operation confirmed that the searches targeted Overground Workers (OGWs) associated with various banned terrorist outfits operating in the UT.

The primary objective of these searches was to dismantle the terror infrastructure, disrupt infiltration plans, and prevent the radicalization of local youth by terrorist outfits and their affiliates. The operation also aimed at cutting off the logistics and communication channels used by these groups.

During the raids, authorities seized incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents, and other evidence from premises linked with hybrid terrorists, sympathizers, and cadres associated with notorious outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), and Al-Badr, along with their offshoots such as The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), JK Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, and PAFF.

The NIA had initially registered a suo moto case on June 21, 2022, to expose and dismantle the terror network operating within Jammu and Kashmir, especially targeting newly-formed offshoots and affiliates of proscribed groups. The ongoing investigations are part of a broader effort to curb the threat posed by these outfits and maintain peace in the UT.