In a significant crackdown, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police executed coordinated raids on Friday in Srinagar and the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal. The operations are a crucial part of an ongoing investigation into a sophisticated white-collar terror network operating in the region.
Raids Target Key Suspects and Weapon Links
The SIA teams searched the Batamaloo residence in Srinagar of Tufail Niyaz Bhat, a 25-year-old air conditioning technician. Bhat was previously taken into custody by authorities. Officials state that Bhat is suspected of supplying the AK-47 rifle that was later recovered from a locker belonging to Adeel Ahmad Rather at the Government Medical College in Anantnag. Rather has been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged connection to the Delhi blast case.
Bhat was initially detained by CARGO, the specialized operations wing of the J&K Police. He was subsequently handed over to the SIA after the busting of an inter-state module and the transfer of the related Nowgam case to the agency for deeper investigation.
Second Raid in Ganderbal Uncovers Pistol Link
In a parallel action on the same day, the SIA conducted another raid at the home of Zameer Ahangar in the Wakoora area of Ganderbal district. This search is connected to the same overarching probe. Police had earlier recovered a pistol from Ahangar's possession. According to officials, this weapon was allegedly provided to him by Maulvi Irfan Ahmad Wagey, who is one of the accused in the case.
Module Unraveled After Poster Threat
The current investigation gained momentum after an incident on October 19. J&K Police arrested several individuals from the Nowgam area following the appearance of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) posters that issued threats to police and security personnel in the Bonpora locality.
Those arrested included Arif Nisar Dar, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, Maqsood Ahmad Dar, and a local cleric known as "Mufti Sahab". Intensive questioning of these individuals led investigators to uncover a wider Jaish-e-Mohammad module that surprisingly involved professionals from the medical field. The probe into this network ultimately exposed the white-collar connections and the flow of weapons, leading to the recent SIA raids.
The series of arrests and searches highlight the police's focus on dismantling not just the operational cells but also the support structures, including logistics and financing, that enable terrorist activities in the region.
