Jammu: SIA files chargesheet in cyber-terror case

Following the issuance of threats earlier this month, the SIA launched an investigation.

https://x.com/JmuKmrPolice/status/1871202979824443595

The chargesheet was submitted to the 3rd Additional Sessions Judge in Jammu on Monday.

In a statement posted on its social media platform X, the J&K police said: "In a significant stride in the fight against cyber-terrorism, the State Investigation Agency (SIA), Jammu, has filed a chargesheet against key operatives behind the notorious 'Kashmir Fight,' a social media handle."

The statement added that the platform, operated by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proscribed terrorist organisation, was used to issue chilling online threats to migrant Kashmiri Pandit employees with the aim of spreading fear and unrest. "In February 2024, a series of threatening posts were published on social media by the terror outfit's handle, prompting an investigation by SIA Jammu," the police noted.

During the investigation, SIA apprehended Farhaan Muzaffar Mattoo, a Srinagar resident, for allegedly gathering and sharing sensitive information about targeted employees, according to the police.

The probe revealed that Mattoo acted as a conduit, using encrypted communication platforms to transmit critical data about migrant employees to handlers based in Pakistan, who then issued threats through the "Kashmir Fight" platform.

The chargesheet also names Sheikh Sajjad Ahmad, alias Sajjad Gul, a Srinagar resident now operating from Pakistan, as the "mastermind of this plot." Sajjad is accused of orchestrating the campaign to intimidate migrant employees and disrupt communal harmony in the Union Territory.

"The exposure of terror plans aimed at disrupting peace underscores the Jammu and Kashmir Police's commitment to protecting its citizens and ensuring a peaceful environment for them," the police said. (ANI)