J&K Police Intensify Crackdown on Terror Networks Across UT

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Police have escalated their ongoing anti-terror operations, targeting local militants operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), their overground workers (OGWs), and support structures across the Union Territory.

The crackdown, which intensified over the weekend, spans multiple districts in Jammu and Kashmir Valley divisions, officials said on Sunday. In Jammu division, massive Cordon-and-Search Operations (CASOs) were conducted on Sunday in dozens of locations across Ramban, Kathua, Rajouri, and Doda districts

In Ramban, joint teams of police, Army, CRPF, and Special Operations Group (SOG), under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Gupta, conducted thorough searches in Banihal and Gool areas. The focus was on relatives and associates of J&K natives operating from Pakistan and POJK, verifying antecedents of suspicious individuals, and securing vulnerable zones.

Houses of active militants and OGWs were searched, with teams inspecting premises for any anti-national activities. The operations were executed professionally, causing minimal inconvenience to the public, a police spokesperson said. Similar drives continued in Kathua and Rajouri.

On Saturday, scores of suspects were questioned during intensified searches in Doda district, prompted by intelligence indicating that militants in higher reaches are seeking winter hideouts in the plains. Police emphasised that these are preventive, intelligence-based measures to strengthen the security grid and ensure lasting peace. Citizens have been urged to share information on suspicious activities, with informant identities kept confidential.

In the Kashmir Valley, the quick action teams of the police, in a parallel offensive codenamed “Operation Dismantle,” on Saturday raided properties linked to “JKNOP” across ten districts- Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Budgam, Bandipora, Srinagar, and Baramulla.

The official said that the operation aims to dismantle logistical, financial, and ideological networks sustaining cross-border militancy, particularly from individuals who crossed the LoC to join banned outfits like Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Several individuals have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act whereas digital devices, documents, and potential contraband are undergoing forensic examination. Police sources described declining local recruitment and a shift toward family-based support networks as key triggers for the raids.

Meanwhile, in a separate but coordinated action on Sunday, Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) conducted Valley-wide raids at ten locations in Srinagar, Kulgam, Baramulla, Shopian, and Pulwama.

Acting on credible inputs about online glorification of terrorism and youth radicalisation, CIK teams, supported by local police, targeted individuals misusing social media to incite violence, spread propaganda, and foster communal hatred, a spokesman of the probe agency said.

He added that nine suspects, including one woman, were detained. Incriminating evidence seized includes SIM cards, mobile phones, tablets, and other digital devices, now slated for forensic analysis.

The spokesman stated, “This robust operation underscores our commitment to rooting out digital threats. It is just the beginning of an intensified campaign against online terrorism and Pakistan-backed handlers. More raids and detentions will follow to protect Kashmir’s youth and uphold peace.”

Authorities reaffirmed that operations will continue relentlessly until terror ecosystems—both physical and virtual—are fully neutralised, ensuring safety and stability across J&K.

A statement issued by the police here said that continuing sustained efforts to uproot the terror ecosystem from the grassroots level, the police in Kulgam on Sunday launched a massive crackdown across multiple locations in the district. “The operation targeted OGWs, UAPA and PSA accused persons, sympathisers, and relatives of killed and active terrorists particularly in areas where encounters had earlier taken place and several suspects were detained for questioning, and multiple houses were searched,” it said.

In Ganderbal, searches were conducted in the residential houses of surrendered and ex-militants during which a significant number of digital devices and other incriminating materials were seized for further analysis, the statement said.

In Sopore area of Baramulla, searches were conducted at over 30 locations linked with JKNOP, other terrorist handlers, and their associates, based on credible intelligence inputs, the police said, adding that many OGWs and suspected associates were detained for questioning to ascertain their connections and roles in aiding cross-border handlers. “Several incriminating materials and digital devices were also seized for forensic examination,” it said.

In Handwara region of Kupwara district, massive search operations were carried out for the second consecutive day across multiple areas and several suspects and OGWs were detained for questioning besides incriminating materials, including mobile phones, digital storage devices, and other documents, were recovered from multiple premises and subsequently seized for detailed forensic and technical analysis, reads the statement.

In Baramulla, the police “carried out numerous and varied operations across the district aimed at shoring up preventive measures against anti-national and law-violating elements while enhancing overall community safety”, the statement said. It also said that, during the course of operations, 25 properties linked with PoJK/ Pakistan based Kashmiri natives were searched. “From these 25 locations, 19 persons were bound down under preventive provisions of law. 22 properties associated with OGWs were searched. 17 OGWs were bound down and 3 were sent to jail under preventive detention,” the statement said.

It added, “Further, 6 properties associated with persons booked under UAPA (presently on bail) were searched besides, 3 OGWs were bound down, and 2 were detained under preventive law. Moreover, 73 SIM vendors were checked across the district to ensure proper subscriber verification in line with prescribed norms. 208 vehicles were thoroughly checked at various checkpoints established along the National Highway and other key routes, and 14 CASOs were simultaneously conducted.”

In Pulwama, the continued crackdown led to the questioning of several persons besides the seizure of relevant materials for verification. “The exercise also helped develop useful leads for further investigation. These sustained operations are part of an ongoing strategy to disrupt the local terror support ecosystem and prevent any subversive activities in the district,” the statement said.