Amid widespread speculation of local terror associates aiding the terrorists in the Pahalgam massacre on April 22 in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found the involvement of an overground worker (OGW) or an insider who provided crucial support to the Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
The individual is believed to have shared the location with the attackers and even assisted them with their exit plan after the cold-blooded killing of 25 tourists and one local person in the Baisaran valley of Pahalgam, sources said.
Investigators picked up two signals from an ultra-state communication system that allows a mobile device to connect for audio or video calls or to send messages via a unique mobile protocol, without the need for a SIM card. The area where these signals were detected has been thoroughly searched, and the investigation is ongoing.
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Those seen in attack videos questioned
NIA teams, along with Jammu and Kashmir Police and other officials, remain deployed in the forested areas as the search continues. Individuals seen in videos captured by tourists at the time of the incident have been questioned and cleared of suspicion for now.
Authorities are also analysing backlog data, including call records and bank account details, as part of the investigation. Initially, the investigation was focused within a 10–12 kilometre radius, but the scope has since been significantly expanded.
India-Pakistan tensions after Pahalgam attack
Amid increasing panic in the Pakistani government and the military about a retaliatory strike after Pahalgam, a meeting of India's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded this afternoon.
Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were among those in attendance. The Prime Minister also chaired two additional meetings — the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). A cabinet briefing is scheduled for 4 pm.
After the last CCS meeting on April 23, India announced host of measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting the Attari border and serving an ultimatum to Pakistani citizens in India on a visa to return.
PM Modi has vowed to break the backs of terror honchos who are responsible for the attack and punishing them in a way that's beyond imagination.
