Greater than 2,000 people, largely former militants and OGWs, have been detained by the police for questioning. “Many had been launched after preliminary questioning, however the crackdown has continued,” a neighborhood police officer confirmed.
One of many primary perpetrators of the latest assault in Pahalgam has been recognized as Pakistani nationwide Hashim Musa, often known as Suleiman. Numerous media stories, citing NIA officers, mentioned Musa had been energetic in Jammu and Kashmir for the previous yr and is suspected to have been concerned in not less than three earlier assaults focusing on safety personnel and non-locals.
Musa is believed to be hiding within the higher areas of the Pir Panjal vary, accompanied by 4 different terrorists who had been reportedly concerned in Tuesday’s assault on vacationers at Baisaran meadow. Jammu and Kashmir Police have recognized these people as Ali Bhai alias Talha (Pakistani), Asif Fauji (Pakistani), Adil Hussain Thoker (a resident of Anantnag), and Ahsan (a resident of Pulwama). Police have additionally launched sketches of the suspects primarily based on descriptions supplied by survivors of the assault.
Authorities suspect that Musa could also be collaborating with different Pakistan-backed terrorist outfits working within the Valley, past Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
As a part of the investigation, safety companies are analyzing potential hyperlinks, together with these involving overground staff (OGWs) related to LeT. These OGWs are believed to have facilitated the motion of Pakistani militants from areas close to the border to numerous districts in Kashmir over the previous yr, an unnamed official said.
Investigators are additionally monitoring digital platforms to establish people within the Kashmir Valley who could have communicated with LeT and its proxy, The Resistance Entrance (TRF), by means of encrypted messaging apps in planning assaults on non-locals.
A second official famous that some native residents and OGWs are presently being interrogated, notably concerning Musa’s whereabouts and affiliations.
Greater than 2,000 people, largely former militants and OGWs, have been detained by the police for questioning. “Many had been launched after preliminary questioning, however the crackdown has continued,” a neighborhood police officer confirmed. Authorities have additionally introduced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for info resulting in the seize of the terrorists concerned.
Based on police, Adil Hussain Thoker had crossed into Pakistan in 2018 and returned to Jammu and Kashmir final yr. The 2 Pakistani nationals implicated within the assault have reportedly been energetic within the Valley for the previous two years.
In the meantime, senior officers from the Ministry of Residence Affairs (MHA), Intelligence Bureau, and different central companies met in Delhi on Thursday to debate enhanced measures to curb infiltration, tighten border safety, and dismantle the assist networks of terrorist teams.
Although TRF has claimed accountability for the Baisaran assault, officers keep it operates as a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Since final yr, the Nationwide Investigation Company (NIA) has intensified its crackdown on a number of terrorist outfits affiliated with LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, and others. These embrace the Resistance Entrance (TRF), United Liberation Entrance Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&Ok), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, and the PAAF.