The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has questioned two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists—Mushtaq and Nisar—currently lodged in a Jammu jail for their links to 2023 Rajouri attack as investigators have found similarities in the modus operandi used in the Pahalgam attack on tourists, officials said on Saturday.
Mushtaq and Nisar have been in jail since April 2023 for their role in the terror attack on civilians in Rajouri district, followed by an IED blast in which seven people, including two children, were killed and several others injured.
The NIA investigators have expanded scope of their probe as a significant lead has emerged related to movement of a Huawei satellite phone in Pahalgam at the time of the attack, sources said.
Huawei, a Chinese company, is prohibited in India, raising suspicions that the device was smuggled from Pakistan or another foreign country, they said.
The NIA is now extending its investigation to the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir—including Machil, Keran, Nowgam, Baramulla, and Uri—to establish the infiltration routes of the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack and to locate their hideouts.
Sources said over past two days, nearly 100 suspects have been detained.
The NIA formally took over the Pahalgam terror attack probe and re-registered its own case on April 27.
Several NIA teams are now involved in collecting evidence and questioning eyewitnesses, including relatives of the victims, to uncover the broader terror conspiracy.
Initial investigations into the attack indicate that the number of terrorists involved could range from five to seven. The attackers were also aided by at least two local militants.
On April 22, Lashkar terrorists attack tourists at Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam killing 25 tourists and a local resident. The killing caused massive outrage in Kashmir and in the country.