Raids in Jammu and Kashmir Target Terrorist Communication Networks

SIA Conducts Extensive Raids in South Kashmir

On Sunday, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir executed raids across 20 locations in four districts of south Kashmir. This operation is linked to an investigation into the dissemination of sensitive information regarding security forces and critical installations via messaging applications, as reported by a local news outlet.

The agency revealed that technical intelligence suggested numerous sleeper cells in the region were in direct communication with handlers in Pakistan, relaying crucial information through platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.

Furthermore, the Jammu and Kashmir Police are closely monitoring suspected terror associates and overground workers, a term used in the region to describe non-combatants who assist militant groups, according to another news source.

Established in 2021, the SIA operates as the regional equivalent of the National Investigation Agency, focusing on terrorism-related matters.

On Sunday morning, searches were conducted in Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, and Anantnag, as part of an investigation initiated under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

During these raids, the agency reported the recovery of significant incriminating evidence and the detention of several individuals for questioning.

The SIA accused those detained of engaging in online radical propaganda at the direction of terrorist leaders from Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which poses a threat to national security.

These raids occurred shortly after an agreement between India and Pakistan aimed at de-escalating military tensions that had intensified on May 7, following Indian military strikes—dubbed Operation Sindoor—targeting alleged terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

These military actions were a response to the Pahalgam terror attack that resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals on April 22.

In retaliation, the Pakistan Army has been shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.