Pahalgam attack: NIA takes over probe, uncovers narco-terrorism links funding LeT
A day after the attack, the agency informed the SC that proceeds from a Rs 21,000-crore Mundra port drug haul were intended to fund LeT's terror activities;
A file image of Security personnel examine the area following the attack in Baisaran Valley. (Photo: @basiitzargar/X)
New Delhi, April 27: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the Pahalgam terror attack case, which claimed the lives of 26 people, including a Nepali national.
The investigation was initially handled by the J&K Police, with the transfer occurring under the orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, according to a statement.
The NIA teams, which have been camping at the terror attack site since April 23, have intensified the search for evidence.
The teams, overseen by an Inspector General (IG), a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and an SP 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, said the media release.
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 cowardly attack that has shocked the nation.
Notably, on April 23, a day after the tragic terrorist attack, central agency had informed the Supreme Court that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group responsible for the massacre, has been funding narco-terrorism in India, a national newswire reported.
During the hearing of a case involving a Delhi businessman arrested in connection with the Rs 21,000 crore Mundra port drug haul, the NIA revealed that the proceeds from the drug sales were being used to finance LeT's terror activities.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the NIA, presented this information to a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh.
She explained that the narcotics were trafficked into India under the guise of legal imports, such as semi-processed talc stones and bituminous coal.
The proceeds were then sent back to the consignors, who used the funds to support Lashkar-e-Taiba’s terrorist activities.
On April 22, a group of terrorists opened fire on sightseers in the Baisaran meadows, a popular travel destination in the mountainous region of Pahalgam.
--With inputs from agencies
