Srinagar, July 11: State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir conducted simultaneous search operations at three suspected locations in Jammu, Doda, and Handwara.
These meticulously executed searches aimed to secure critical evidence to unravel a complex conspiracy involving cross-border funding through cryptocurrency, designed to fuel terrorism and destabilize peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
Police said the search operations also targeted efforts to identify individuals inciting youth against the Union of India, thereby threatening national security. The searches are part of an ongoing investigation under FIR No. 12/2022, under Sections 18, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with Sections 120B, 121, and 121A of the Indian Penal Code, registered at Police Station CI-SIA Kashmir.
A police spokesman said the search operations yielded vital evidence, marking a breakthrough in exposing the clandestine financial networks that keep the pot of terrorism boiling in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Recovered articles/electronic devices are expected to aid the State Investigation Agency Kashmir in identifying and apprehending co-conspirators and accomplices orchestrating these anti-national activities.
Probe focuses on how digital currencies are being exploited to facilitate covert terror funding from across the border, to keep the flames of unrest alive in the region.
The searches were also aimed at identifying those who incite and radicalize youth against the country, thereby posing a serious threat to national security.
“The State Investigation Agency remains determined in its commitment to rooting out terrorism and its support systems, including sophisticated methods like cryptocurrency-based funding, which are increasingly exploited to perpetuate violence and radicalization. These search operations reflect the State Investigation Agency’s unwavering determination to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the nation while ensuring the safety and security of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The coordinated action is being seen as a vital breakthrough in tracking the money trail that sustains terror networks in Jammu and Kashmir, and may lead to further arrests and disclosures in the coming weeks.