Pahalgam attack: NIA files case and begins investigation
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has formally taken over the probe into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, sponsored by Pakistan and carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) through its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), and is “checking the entire area thoroughly for evidence to expose the terror conspiracy”, the agency said.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) issued an order in this regard, allowing the federal anti-terror probe agency to register a case at its Jammu branch after taking over case files from the Union territory police.
Led by inspector general Vijay Sakhare of NIA and comprising a deputy inspector general and a superintendent of police, the agency’s teams have already been camping at the attack side in the Baisaran meadow, located about 5km from Pahalgam town, since Wednesday.
According to NIA officials, preliminary investigations suggest that around 5-7 terrorists were involved in the massacre. They were aided by at least two local individuals who had received training in Pakistan. The security agencies have also released sketches of three terrorists identified as Pakistani nationals: Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha.
The teams, overseen by an IG, a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and a Superintendent of Police (SP) from the anti-terror agency, are examining eyewitnesses who had seen the horrifying attack unfold before their eyes at the peaceful and picturesque Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, according to the statement issued by NIA.
As many as 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed and more than a dozen others injured in the Pahalgam terror attack which occurred on April 22. This has been one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.