New Delhi, Apr 27: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the Pahalgam terror attack case from Jammu and Kashmir Police and begun its investigation into the deadly attack that resulted in the killing of 26 tourists, top sources told ANI.

The Central anti-terror agency formally registered a fresh FIR on late Saturday following an order issued from the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs considering the gravity of the case as Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba's proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The NIA took over the case five days after the incident and four days after its team visited the attack site and started supporting the Jammu and Kashmir Police in probing what is considered the deadliest assault on civilians in the region in almost twenty years.

The NIA team, led by a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer, had visited Baisaran on April 23, the day after the attack.

Official sources, privy to the development, told ANI that "the NIA has formally taken over the case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and stated its investigation."

The NIA's investigation is significant, as the April 22 attack led to the death of 26 tourists, including one Nepali citizen, and left over three dozen others injured. The incident occurred around 2 PM at Baisaran meadow, near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam.

The NIA team is expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the attack site, collect forensic evidence, and help in identifying those responsible for the carnage.

Authorities pressed a chopper into service for the evacuation of the injured persons.

The attack comes at a time when Kashmir is experiencing a significant uptick in tourist arrivals after years of militancy. Notably, the 38-day Amarnath Yatra is set to commence on July 3.

The NIA's move comes amid intelligence agencies compiling a list of 14 local terrorists actively operating in the Union Territory.

According to sources, these individuals, aged between 20 and 40 years, are actively aiding foreign terrorists from Pakistan by providing logistical and ground-level support.

The identified operatives are reportedly affiliated with three major Pakistan-backed terror outfits: Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Among them, three are associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, eight with LeT, and three with JeM.

Sources revealed the names of these individuals as: Adil Rehman Dentoo (21), Asif Ahmed Sheikh (28), Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh (23), Haris Nazir (20), Aamir Nazir Wani (20), Yawar Ahmed Bhat, Asif Ahmed Khanday (24), Naseer Ahmed Wani (21), Shahid Ahmed Kutay (27), Aamir Ahmed Dar, Adnan Safi Dar, Zubair Ahmed Wani (39), Haroon Rashid Ganai (32), and Zakir Ahmed Ganie (29).

Dentoo joined LeT in 2021 and is actively working as the Sopore district commander of the banned outfit. Asif Ahmed Sheikh, a terrorist of JeM, is the district commander of Awantipora and has been continuously involved in terrorist activities since 2022. Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh is active in Pulwama as a LeT terrorist and has been involved in terrorist activities continuously since 2023. Haris Nazir is a terrorist from Pulwama and active in LeT since 2023, while Aamir Nazir Wani is also an active terrorist in Pulwama linked to JeM since 2024. Yawar Ahmed Bhat is also completely active in Pulwama and has been associated with JeM since 2024.

Asif Ahmed Khanday is a terrorist from Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir, and he joined Hizbul Mujahideen in July 2015, and is currently an active member of the terror group aiding Pakistani terrorists. Naseer Ahmed Wani is also actively involved in terrorist activities in Shopian since 2019 as an active member of LeT significantly aiding Pakistani terrorists. Shahid Ahmed Kutay, another active terrorist in Shopian, is linked with LeT and its proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), since 2023.

Aamir Ahmed Dar, also active in Shopian since 2023, is working with LeT and play a major role as an aide to foreign terrorists. Adnan Safi Dar, who is another active terrorist from Shopian district, is working jointly for LeT and TRF since 2024, and acts as a conduit for information from Pakistani handlers to terrorists.

Zubair Ahmed Wani alias Abu Ubaida alias Usman is the Chief Operational Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. He is categorised as an A+ active terrorist and significantly aids other terrorists and has been implicated multiple times in attacks on security forces since 2018.

Haroon Rashid Ganai, an active Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist also from Anantnag, is on the search radar of security forces. He had earlier travelled to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), where he received training in 2018. He reportedly came back to South Kashmir recently. However, Zubair Ahmed Gani, a major terrorist from Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, is associated with LeT and continuously involved in attacks on security forces and targeted killings.

The identification of these local terror aides comes as agencies intensify efforts to dismantle the support networks facilitating cross-border terrorism.

Security forces have launched coordinated operations across South Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag and Pulwama districts, where many of the listed individuals are believed to be operating. Senior officials indicate that these names are part of a larger intelligence dossier being used to pre-empt further attacks and disrupt terror logistics in the Valley.

The agencies are engaged in finding links between these 14 terrorists and the five terrorists who were involved in the attack.

The release of the list of these 14 local active terrorists is a move followed by investigators identified five terrorists involved in the deadly attack, including three Pakistani nationals. The authorities had earlier also released three sketches of these Pakistani terrorists, Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha. The other two Valley-based operatives were identified as Adil Guri and Ahsan. A bounty of Rs 20 lakh on each has also been announced.

(ANI)

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