A local court in Jammu today formally remanded two alleged overground workers (OGWs) who were arrested yesterday in connection with the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) secured five days of custody to intensify interrogation and further the ongoing probe into the terror network behind the mass shooting.
The suspects, residents of Pahalgam, are accused of providing shelter, food and logistical support to the three Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who carried out the attack, resulting in 26 deaths and 16 injuries.
During the proceedings, the NIA highlighted that the assistance of the OGWs was crucial in enabling the attackers to operate in the Baisaran Valley, 6 km from Pahalgam town. Such support networks are essential for cross-border terror operations, investigators pointed out.
A senior NIA official said: “Our aim is to use this additional detention period to unearth the wider elements of the network, including handlers and financiers based in Pakistan.”
The move comes after a massive crackdown in which around 15 individuals identified through electronic surveillance were arrested as suspected underground operatives, and efforts are on to dismantle the network’s reach in south Kashmir.
These arrests are a significant step in unearthing logistics channels and financial backers as well as probing infiltration routes and safe havens linked to LeT operations in the region.