JAMMU: J&K police conducted raids Sunday at eight locations in Jammu’s Poonch to dismantle infrastructure of terror and thwart attempts by Pakistan-based operatives to use locals and plot attacks.Officials said the searches covered locations in Sawjian and adjoining areas in Poonch, targeting homes of people associated with Pakistan-based terrorists.“J&K police launched the simultaneous raids as part of a crackdown on Pakistan-based terrorists to use contacts for motivating gullible youth to carry out subversive activities in the region, disturbing peace and harmony,” an official said.The raids focused on gathering leads about cross-border connections and support systems for terrorists. “The operation is part of ongoing efforts to tighten security and check efforts to revive militancy in the region,” the official said.Earlier on June 4, similar raids were mounted at 60 locations in the frontier district to smoke out suspected OverGround Workers (OGWs) who provide logistical and other support to terrorists. Security agencies believe that terrorists can’t survive long without the help of OGWs.On May 18, nearly one-and-a-half dozen places were searched, mostly houses of OGWs and relatives of terrorists operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These searches were not confined only to Poonch but also extended to the neighbouring border district of Rajouri.On November 25 last year, multiple raids in Rajouri as part of terror probes led police to claim seizures of incriminating material and documents. The cases pertained to some OGWs conniving with proscribed outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to organise and execute terror-related activities, police said.
