Massive anti-terror operation in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have conducted a massive crackdown on terrorist networks linked to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) across the Jammu region.

Additional DGP (Jammu), Anand Jain told reporters on Wednesday that police have conducted a series of searches and raids across the Jammu region.

“Raids were conducted at 56 places across four districts of the Jammu region. The large-scale operation resulted in the arrest of several Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and terror suspects, along with the recovery of incriminating materials, including electronic devices, documents, unaccounted cash, weapons and ammunition. Investigations will continue based on the material and information gathered during the raids. Further operations are planned to target any remaining elements attempting to disrupt peace in the region, ” he said.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajay Sharma said, "...To eliminate the terror ecosystem, the role of the common public is as important as that of law enforcement agencies and security forces. Without the cooperation and support of the general public, this ecosystem cannot be eradicated. And there is a lot of support in this regard, I will not deny this. The support from the people is very good; they do inform us. If they notice anything suspicious, they always approach us, and they feel very comfortable approaching."

A police statement issued on the operation said, “The operations aimed to identify, track and apprehend OGWs and other terror suspects involved in supporting terrorist outfits by managing logistics, recruitment and facilitating the movement of arms, ammunition and funds. Searches were conducted at multiple locations, including residential houses and hideouts, in Rajouri district based on specific intelligence inputs. Places searched in Rajouri included Darhal, Kalakote, Manjakote and Dharamsal areas."

“Twelve similar search operations were conducted in different locations of district Poonch, including Surankote, Mandi, Poonch, Mendhar and Gursai. These operations are part of investigations into two separate terror cases registered at Thannamandi Police Station in 2013 and Rajouri Police Station this year," the statement further mentioned.

"The cases involve a terrorist network active in the border district and linked to proscribed organisations like JeM and LeT, which are trying to activate OGWs to initiate, organise, and execute terror-related activities,” the spokesperson said.

In Udhampur district, the police conducted extensive searches at 25 locations in the Basantgarh area, including Rai Chak, Chaka, Kadwah, Morha, Kund, Khaned, Ponara, Loudhra and Sang.

“Ten similar raids were carried out in different locations of Reasi district, including Puni, Gulabgarh, Arnas, Panassa and Mahore-Chasana. These searches were part of an investigation linked to a terror case registered at the Basantgarh Police Station. The action has led to the arrest of several OGWs and terror suspects during two days long crackdown. Incriminating materials, including electronic devices, documents, unaccounted cash, weapons, and ammunition, were recovered during the searches. The operations were conducted meticulously to avoid any collateral damage or inconvenience to innocent civilians,” the police statement added.