Aadhaar, FB account details found in phones of 3 Pak terrorists: NIA
NIA recovered Aadhaar cards and Facebook details from phones of three Pakistani terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, seeking more time for investigation.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recovered Aadhaar cards, photographs, and Facebook account details of several people from the mobile phones of three Pakistani terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, officials familiar with the probe has said as the agency continued to seek more time to file a charge sheet in the case.
Three terrorists –– Suleiman Shah, Hamza Afghani alias Afghan and Jibran –– who shot dead 25 tourists and a pony operator on April 22 at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, were killed by security forces during an encounter on July 28 in Dachigam forest area. Union home minister Amit Shah confirmed in Parliament on July 29 that the terrorists were from Pakistan and belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Two Pahalgam locals — Bashir Ahmad Jothar and Parvez Ahmad Jothar — were arrested on June 22, nearly two months after the Pahalgam attack for allegedly harbouring the three terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park before the attack, on April 21.
On October 31, a Jammu court granted a second 45-day extension to the federal agency to complete its investigation into the attack. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act imposes a 90-day ceiling for custody of suspects. This period can be extended by 180 days, if a court is satisfied that there is sufficient cause. The NIA got the first extension of 45 days on September 18.
A second officer aware of the matter said: “We are in the process of decrypting with the help of experts the end-to-end encrypted communications between the three terrorists and their handler in Pakistan, who we believe primarily orchestrated and supervised the terror strike.”
These communications, the officer added, need more time to decipher, which is why the agency will need at least 45 more days to file a charge sheet in the case. A further analysis of these documents will provide more clues about involvement of other LeT/TRF operatives in the Pahalgam attack, the officer said.
Police had recovered two mobile phones, a satellite phone, one M4 carbine, two AK-47 rifles and their Pakistani identity documents from the encounter site, which were sent for forensic and digital analysis to identify the facilitators based in Pakistan, other LeT and The Resistance Front (TRF) secret operatives based in the Valley and other details.
“The National Forensic Science University (NFSU), Gandhi Nagar has recently shared the digital analysis report of three terrorists’ mobile phones, which reveals incriminating evidence against Bashir and Parvaiz Jothar and also certain Aadhaar cards, Facebook IDs and photographs, which are being further investigated,” said an officer, who didn’t want to be named.
Officials said the agency is also waiting for reports on devices seized by Jammu and Kashmir police in different anti-terror operations against The Resistance Front (TRF) –– a proxy of LeT that was involved in the Pahalgam terror attack.
It is also in the process of recording before the courts the statements of tourists who witnessed the attack and are vital for creating the sequence of that day, the officials added.
