The case was registered at a Counter Intelligence Kashmir Police Station (Representational)
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday filed a charge sheet against a Jaish-e-Muhammad terror module in a special NIA court here for trying to disturb peace and tranquillity in the Union Territory, officials said.
The Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) of the J&K Police presented a charge sheet against Pakistan-based terror handler Abdul Rehman, a resident of Momin Zafarwal village in the Narowal area of Pakistan, along with his three associates in Kashmir valley, a police spokesperson said.
The associates were identified as Junaid-ul-Islam, a resident of Sail Awantipora in Pulwama, Sheikh Najmu Saqib from Ganastan Sumbal in Bandipora, and Waseem Ferooz from Karimaabad in Pulwama.
The charge sheet was also filed against two juveniles before the Court of a Special Judge Designated under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at Srinagar in a case registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the spokesperson said.
The case was registered at a Counter Intelligence Kashmir Police Station following credible input about Rehman and Kashmir-based associates trying to carry out terror acts to disturb the peace and tranquillity prevailing in the Union Territory with an ulterior motive of challenging the sovereignty and integrity of India, he said.
Rehman, who has several aliases, including Riyaz, Umar, Jigar, Ashfaq, and Luqman, and his Kashmir-based associates were using covert communication applications to evade detection and ensure the secrecy and anonymity of their activities, the spokesperson said.
An investigation was set into motion for the logical conclusion of the case for judicial determination.
The probe revealed that the Pakistani terrorist handler at the behest of the ISI had created a module of overground workers (OGWs) and passed on directions to them via different covert encrypted messaging applications for luring youths to take up arms against the sovereignty of India, the spokesperson said.
The accused were primarily switching to encrypted internet messaging platforms and other social media applications to stay in touch with each other and receive instructions from handlers across the border, he said.
The same was aimed to radicalise and lure innocent youths towards terrorism, use them as couriers of arms/ammunition and psychotropic substances and recruit more youth in terrorist ranks, carry out terrorist acts in the length and breadth of the valley with an end objective to disturb the peace, the spokesperson added.
This all was done by misusing social media while maintaining secrecy with anonymity, the spokesperson said.
The handler sitting in Pakistan with other accused people was continuously attempting to create new terror modules by a variety of methods, including instigation, enticement and at times combined with implied coercion to act as logistics and terror agents to further terrorist and unlawful activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesperson said.
During the investigation, it was found that several youths after reading and observing the seditious material sent to them by the handlers did not show their interest to work as OGWs and to further radicalise the youths of the valley, he said.
The spokesperson said it was also found that youths are lured by the idea of getting rewarded in paradise after attaining martyrdom, besides money and glamour in this world.
As such, an appeal is made to youths of Kashmir valley and their parents to keep a close watch upon their wards and youth should also remain cautious not to fall in the trap of such incitements, he added.
After thorough investigations, the case has been proved against the four accused people, including the Pakistan-based terror handler, and proceedings under section 299 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been initiated, the spokesperson said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)