J&K Police raids over 300 locations linked to banned Jamaat-e-Islami

Police on Wednesday intensified the crackdown on the terror ecosystem in Kashmir, carrying out raids at more than 300 locations linked to persons affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in the valley, officials said.

The raids were based on credible intelligence inputs indicating attempts by JeI-linked elements to revive their activities under different fronts, police officials said.

They said the raids were carried out at several locations across the districts of Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Baramulla and Ganderbal, they said.

The searches were carried out at the residences and premises of JeI members and their associates.

They added the crackdown is a part of sustained efforts to dismantle the terror ecosystem and its support structure at the grassroots level.

Giving details of the massive operation, the officials said raids were conducted at over 200 locations across Kulgam district in south Kashmir.

They said that during the past four days, more than 400 cordon and search operations (CASOs) have been conducted across different areas of the district at the premises of OGWs, J-K-based Jammu and Kashmir Nationals Operating from Pakistan (JKNOP), places where encounters took place in past, hideouts of active/ killed terrorists.

These operations have led to the interrogation of around 500 individuals affiliated with JKNOPs and other banned outfits, many of whom have been bound down and shifted to District Jail Mattan, Anantnag under preventive laws, the officials added.

During the raids, incriminating material and digital devices were seized, and several JeI members were interrogated and bound down to further trace and disrupt networks aiding terrorism.

In north Kashmir's Baramulla district, police in Sopore launched a major coordinated operation and carried out a district-wide counter terror and separatist ecosystem action, by conducting simultaneous raids at over 30 plus locations across Sopore, Zaingeer, and Rafiabad areas with the assistance of other security forces, they said.

During the operations, a significant quantity of incriminating material, including documents, digital gadgets, and printed content with links to the banned organisation was recovered and seized for detailed scrutiny. Several individuals are being questioned to ascertain their involvement in unlawful activities, the police officials said.

Extensive search operations were also carried out at multiple locations across Ganderbal, in central Kashmir, targeting individuals and premises associated with the proscribed organisation, the officials said.

During the raids, a large quantity of incriminating materials, including documents, digital devices, and printed content having direct links with the banned outfit were recovered and seized for detailed analysis.

Several suspects have been detained for questioning to ascertain their role in unlawful and subversive activities, they said.

These operations form a crucial part of J-K Police's sustained preventive strategy aimed at dismantling the terror-separatist ecosystem, cutting off its ideological, financial, and logistical networks, and ensuring that peace and normalcy remain undisturbed, the officials said.

Similar raids were also carried out at multiple locations in Shopian and Pulwama districts in south Kashmir, during which several JeI members were questioned and bound down under law, the police officials added.