The National Investigation Agency (NIA), on September 21, conducted multiple raids in five Districts of the Union Territory (UT) including three in Kashmir division and two in Jammu region in connection with recovery of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) dropped using drone on the day two drones struck at Indian Air force (IAF) Station at Satwari injuring two officials and causing minor damage to the building, reports Daily Excelsior. An NIA statement issued said many digital devices and other incrimination material have been recovered from the premises of persons whose houses were raided today (September 21). Three militants, two of them hailing from Banihal tehsil (revenue unit) in Ramban District and another from Shopian have already been arrested in connection with recovery of the IED at Bhatindi under Trikuta Nagar Police Station in Jammu District including the one who had to plant the explosive device at a crowded place. The case was registered at Trikuta Nagar Police Station on June 27 this year while investigations were later handed over to the NIA which reregistered the case on July 19. The NIA raided the house of Jal Shakti Department official Ghulam Mohammad Dar (45), son of Abdul Gani Dar at Tendar Dothan Gaddatter village in Gundana area in Doda District.
“The NIA team was looking for his son Javed Iqbal Dar, 31, who is reportedly MA B Ed as there were reports with the Agency that he might have been connected with militants in Pakistan through WhatsApp,” sources said, adding that the family, however, claimed that Javed Dar was putting up in Ladakh for the past few months. Sources said the NIA team might establish contact with Ladakh Police to trace Javed Dar. Information about Javed Dar’s links with the militants was reportedly given by three militants already arrested in connection with recovery of the IED. The NIA team also conducted searches in the house of an ex-serviceman of Territorial Army Talib Naik at Masjid Mohalla in Kishtwar. “During searches conducted today, many digital devices and other incriminating materials have been recovered from the premises of suspects,” an official statement issued by the NIA after completion of the raids, said. It said investigations into the case revealed that Pakistan based handlers of proscribed terror outfit of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and their associates based in Jammu and Kashmir are planning terror activities in the Union Territory using the pseudo-acronym The Resistance Front (TRF) so as to maintain plausible deniability and evade Law Enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, the NIA raided the residence of Mohammad Shafi Wani son of Abdul Gani, a resident of Lasjan on the outskirts of Srinagar. They searched the residence and seized the mobile phones of Mohammad Shafi and his son identified as Rayees Wani. Mohammad Shafi was detained and taken to Police Station Panta-Chowk for further questioning. The NIA also searched the residence of Waseem Ahmad Dar son of Nazir Ahmad Dar, a resident of Larm Ganjipora area of Kulgam District. In Anantnag District, searches were carried out in the residence of Bashir Ahmad Padder son of Ghulam Mohammad Padder, a resident of Bamnu Sadiwar, and in Baramulla District, a raid is being conducted in the house of Ghulam Mohiudin Wani son of Ghulam Mohammad Wani, a resident of Zandfaran Sheer who is an employee in Sericulture department.