SRINAGAR, Jul 18: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) conducted raids at multiple locations, including houses of three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday in connection with the killing of bank ATM guard Sanjay Sharma earlier this year, officials said.
Sharma was killed by militants in Achan area of Pulwama in south Kashmir in February. The SIA, during its third round of searches in the minority killing case, conducted raids at 10 places — five in Anantnag, four in Shopian, and one in Kulgam — in south Kashmir in the wee hours, the officials said.
The 10 target premises also included residential houses of three active terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba namely Danish Hamid Thoker alias Khalid, and Ubaid Padder — both from Chakoora Shopian, and Abrar Farooq Wani of Heff Shirmal. These active terrorists have ”relevance” in the under investigation case, the officials said.
The searches were conducted by 10 special teams of the SIA in pursuance of search warrants issued by the Special UAPA Court, Pulwama to collect evidence relevant to the ongoing investigation necessary to unearth conspiracy of minority killings in south Kashmir, they said.
While launching specific hunt for substantial evidences, the SIA searched various structures and house keeping records at target places and questioned many individuals for ascertaining circumstances and evidences in the case, they added.
The SIA has been narrowing down efforts to attain specifications and evidentiary data for the logical conclusion of the case for judicial determination, the officials said. (Agencies)