Srinagar, Oct 25: The Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) on Saturday produced a chargesheet in a terror recruitment case before the Court of Special Judge designated under the NIA Act, Srinagar.
A statement of CIK issued here said that chargesheet was presented in case FIR No 07/2023 under Section 153-A, 505, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 13, 18, 18-B, 39 of the UAPA of Police Station CIK Srinagar against terrorist associate Aadil Ahmad Khan, son of Ghulam Muhammad Khan of Drien Qazigund, Anantnag.
It said that the case pertains to a terror recruitment module being clandestinely operated through social media platforms, with the objective of radicalising and recruiting impressionable youth of J&K into the ranks of proscribed terrorist organisations, particularly those sponsored and controlled from across the border.
The statement said that the investigation was initiated on the basis of credible information that unscrupulous individuals and entities based in Pakistan, in connivance with terrorist handlers of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other banned outfits, were using social media to lure Kashmiri youth and instigate them to wage war against the sovereignty and integrity of India.
It said that during the investigation, three accused persons were earlier found involved and charge sheeted before the court and were identified as Waseem Ahmad Sheikh, son of Ghulam Muhammad Sheikh of Kandoora Budgam; Junaid Ahmad Mir, son of late Abdul Jabbar Mir of Tikkipora Lolab; and Shabir Ahmad Gojri, son of Abdul Salam of Darbagh Harwan, Srinagar.
The statement also reads that further investigation uncovered the active role of accused Aadil Ahmad Khan, who had been operating a dedicated online recruitment network through Facebook and Twitter, disseminating secessionist, anti-national, and pro-terror content.
It said that his online activities were aimed at glorifying terrorism, promoting violent extremism, and motivating youth to join proscribed terrorist organisations.
The statement said that the investigation established that Aadil was actively aiding and abetting terrorist propaganda by sharing and amplifying digital content aligned with the agenda of Pakistan-based terror groups and their offshoots and front organisations.
It said that his online radicalisation efforts were coupled with ground-level facilitation of terror recruitment.
The statement said that the case was being investigated by CIK with a focus on identifying and dismantling the wider online terror ecosystem, including handlers, sympathisers, and digital facilitators operating from within and outside J&K.
The CIK officials said that more arrests and disclosures were expected as the investigation progresses.
