In a significant development in the investigation of the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, sources in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have revealed that over 20 Over Ground Workers (OGWs) have been identified and are currently being intensely interrogated. According to NIA sources, the agency is also preparing to question two key OGWs, Nisar Ahmad alias Haji and Mushtaq Hussain, both of whom are currently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu. The duo are known associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and were earlier arrested for their role in aiding terrorists involved in the 2023 attacks on Army convoys in Bhata Dhurian and Totagali regions.
Investigating agencies suspect a possible connection between the group of terrorists responsible for the Rajouri-Poonch convoy attacks and those behind the Pahalgam incident, as per sources. Officials believe that both groups might be linked to the same LeT network operating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This line of investigation has prompted the NIA to focus on Nisar and Mushtaq, as their interrogation may offer vital clues to uncover the larger conspiracy, they added.
Meanwhile, Security forces suspect that terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack may be hiding in the region's natural caves and forested hideouts. For the last 10 days, intensive search operations have been ongoing in the dense forests surrounding Baisaran Valley, Taranau Haptgund, Dawroo, and adjoining areas. Agencies have also been analysing mobile tower dump data and call detail records (CDRs) of various numbers active within a 20-kilometre radius of Pahalgam and Baisaran Valley since April 20.
Pahalgam terror attack
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. The government, however, has yet to officially confirm the number of casualties in the terror attack in Pahalgam. Following the terror attack, security forces launched search operations to track down the terrorists responsible. Security has been heightened since the attack, with visuals from the area showing the streets deserted in the usually bustling tourist area.
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