Counter Intelligence Kashmir carries out searches at eight locations in Valley

SRINAGAR — Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) wing of Jammu and Kashmir CID on Saturday carried out searches at eight locations across seven districts of the Valley in connection with an ongoing militancy-related investigation.

Officials said these raids were conducted simultaneously in Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kupwara, Handwara, Pulwama, and Shopian districts.

"The searches were undertaken after the CIK obtained search warrants from a competent court in pursuance of a militant case under investigation," the officials said.

The case pertains to the suspected nexus of certain individuals with militant networks operating in Kashmir.

"The searches were aimed at gathering digital and physical evidence that may help in taking the probe forward," sources said.

During the operation, several documents and electronic devices were seized for forensic analysis. No arrests have been reported so far during these searches.

CIK teams were assisted by local police and the CRPF during these searches.

Joint forces have been carrying out aggressive operations against terrorists, their over ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in Jammu and Kashmir.

Drug smugglers and peddlers are also on the radar of the joint forces, as it is believed by the intelligence agencies that funds generated by drug smuggling and hawala money rackets are finally used to sustain terrorists in the Union Territory.

The targeting of terrorists, their OGWs and sympathisers, together with drug smugglers, is part of the revised strategy of the joint forces to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terror in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the majority of drug smuggling and hawala money operations, the intelligence agencies have been able to trace the roots across the line of control (LoC) and the international border (IB).

In addition to the routine criminal investigation, passport verification, gathering ground-level day-to-day intelligence and other investigative roles, Jammu and Kashmir CID has a dedicated CIK wing, one operating as CIK Kashmir and the other as CIK Jammu.