India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted search operations at 14 locations across Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
The agency said the raids were conducted in connection to a case that pertains to criminal conspiracy for carrying out "terrorist and subversive activities" by various militant organizations, primarily targeting minorities and security personnel.
The ongoing raids are part of a criminal case the agency filed in June after a spate of targeted killings of non-local residents and the Hindu minority of the region. As many as six Kashmiri Pandits have been killed since 2020 according to Ministry of Home Affairs data.
"The case pertains to the criminal conspiracy for carrying out terrorist & subversive activities hatched by the cadres and overground workers of various proscribed organizations and their affiliates/off-shoots, operating under various pseudo names, at the behest of their Pakistani commanders/handlers. They are involved in carrying out terrorist attacks by using cyber-space in J&K, targeting minorities, security personnel and spreading communal disharmony," the agency said in a statement.
Uptick in Civilian Attacks
Militant attacks on non-local residents and Kashmiri Pandits have witnessed a spike since 2020, a year after the region's semi-autonomous status was revoked by Delhi.
Terrorists have accused their victims of either working with the Indian government or aiding the change of demography of the Muslim-majority region.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, police in Jammu and Kashmir said it had busted a major transnational drug syndicate operating out of Pakistan on Friday. A total of 17 individuals were arrested in a single day including five policemen.
Police said the large module was involved in drug smuggling from near the Line of Control (LoC) and then supplying it in different parts of Kashmir.