Centre directs NIA to take over Pahalgam investigation as probe picks up pace

New Delhi: The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has handed over the probe into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, sponsored by Pakistan and carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) through its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) following which the agency is “checking the entire area to expose the terror conspiracy”, it said on Sunday. 

The federal anti-terror probe agency said in a statement that “it has begun the process of formally taking over the Pahalgam terror attack case, in which 26 innocent tourists were mercilessly shot dead on Tuesday, following orders from the  Ministry of Home Affairs.”

The agency teams have been camping at the terror attack site in the Baisaran meadow, located 5 km from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam town, since Wednesday and have intensified the search for evidence, it said.

Sharing the specifics of investigation being carried out till now, the agency said, “The teams, overseen by an IG (inspector general), a DIG (deputy inspector general of police) and an SP (superintendent of police) from the anti-terror agency, are examining the eyewitnesses who had seen the horrifying attack unfold before their eyes at the peaceful and picturesque Baisaran valley. The eyewitnesses are being questioned in minute detail to piece together the sequence of events that led to one of the worst terror attacks in Kashmir”.

“The entry and exit points are being closely scrutinised by the investigating NIA teams for clues to the modus operandi of the terrorists. The teams, aided by forensic and other experts, are checking the entire area thoroughly for evidence to expose the terror conspiracy that led to the horrendous attack that has shocked the nation,” NIA statement added.

Also Read: 175 detained in Anantnag as search continues for Pahalgam attack terrorists

The NIA has already been recording the statements of the survivors of the Pahalgam attack for past couple of days apart from interrogating dozens of overground workers (OGWs) and arrested terrorists belonging to LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other outfits who are currently lodged in prisons.

Meanwhile, on ground forces comprising Army, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and J&K police are hunting for the attackers.

As first reported by HT on April 24, Indian intelligence agencies have already traced Pahalgam attack’s digital footprints to some safehouses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, establishing a clear Pakistan hand and suggesting that a 26/11 Mumbai attacks type control-room run operation may have been replicated.

Also read: Amit Shah reaches Kashmir Valley, NIA likely to take over probe into Pahalgam attack

Forensic analysis and statements by survivors have revealed that four to five terrorists were involved in the killings. They were well-equipped with automatic weapons, including AK rifles, sophisticated communication devices, and some were even dressed in military-style fatigues.

“Our intelligence intercepts suggest direct link with operatives based in Pakistan. We have traced digital footprint to some safehouses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, which have been the key hubs for Lashkar-e-Taiba’s previous major attacks in India that are supervised by Pakistan army and the ISI from control centres,” an officer told HT on April 23.

There had been inputs that Pakistan army and ISI were actively facilitating infiltration of highly skilled terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad from the Line of Control (LoC) and the Intelligence Border (IB) into India since January this year.

The NIA had, in February and last month, carried out extensive searches at several locations in Jammu and Kashmir to track down infiltrated terrorists and overground workers assisting them.

It is suspected that after entering India and being provided with food, shelter, and money, these terrorists were guided by local overground workers to various locations.

Also Read:Pakistan’s history of dubious terror probes: 4 times India’s neighbour ignored evidence

The NIA itself issued a statement in March that “terrorists were believed to have made their way to the hinterland districts of Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, and also to the Kashmir Valley.”

The J&K police on Friday released sketches of three terrorists, including two Pakistanis — Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai and Hashim Musa alias Suleiman — and local operative Adil Hussain Thoker, and announced a ₹20 lakh bounty on each of them.

HT had earlier reported that Musa is involved in at least three previous attacks in J&K, including the May 2024 ambush on an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Poonch.

Intelligence agencies have also identified 14 terrorists — eight belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and three each from Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) — currently “active” in the Kashmir Valley.