Key Points

According to official sources, the coordinated operation began early this morning and covered Bihar (8 locations), Karnataka (1), Maharashtra (1), Tamil Nadu (1), Uttar Pradesh (2), and Jammu and Kashmir (9 locations).

The raids were conducted with the active support of state police forces and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, ensuring smooth execution on the ground.

The case under investigation pertains to a terror conspiracy, the recruitment of youth, the raising of funds, and the establishment of sleeper cells for carrying out unlawful activities across different parts of the country.

During the searches, officials examined several residential premises and business establishments suspected of being linked to individuals associated with radical groups.

As per official sources, investigators are believed to have seized electronic gadgets, digital records, incriminating documents, and communication devices, which will now undergo forensic and technical analysis.

“The evidence collected is expected to play a crucial role in establishing connections between suspects and banned outfits operating both within India and across the border,” official sources said.

Official sources added that Jammu and Kashmir is the focal point of Monday’s raids, where nine different places are being searched. The residential premises raided on Monday belong to suspected persons believed to have links with networks operating outside India.

The NIA has intensified its efforts in recent months, conducting multiple raids across India to dismantle terror modules and disrupt their logistical support systems.

“Today’s operation is seen as another strong step towards cracking down on those attempting to destabilise peace and security in the region,” the sources added.

Some high-profile terror cases, including those involving terror funding and killings of innocent civilians, are being investigated by the NIA.

The investigation into the terror attack carried out by Pakistan-backed LeT terrorists on April 22 in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam was also handed over to the NIA.

Twenty-six civilians, including 25 tourists and a local Pony owner, were killed in the Pahalgam attack.

Three Pakistani terrorists, Suleman, Jibran and Hamza Afghani, were killed on July 28 in the foothills of Mahadev Peak in the higher reaches of Dachigam National Park in the Harwan area of Srinagar district.

The Army called the operation against these three terrorists as ‘Operation Mahadev’.

These three terrorists were identified as the terrorists who had carried out the Pahalgam terror attack.

The three Pahalgam terrorists who were killed during Operation Mahadev on July 28 were identified and tracked with the help of photographs recovered from a mobile phone seized by the security forces after an encounter in south Kashmir in 2024, officials confirmed after the operation.

- IANS