Srinagar: The Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday filed a chargesheet against a terrorist associate from Anantnag district in connection with a terror recruitment case.
A CIK spokesperson described the development as a major success against Pakistan-backed propaganda and recruitment networks operating through social media platforms.
The chargesheet was filed before the special NIA-designated court in Srinagar in connection with FIR No. 07/2023, registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, against Aadil Ahmad Khan alias Gull Khan, a resident of Drien Qazigund, Anantnag.
According to the spokesperson, the case pertains to a terror recruitment module run clandestinely through social media to radicalise and recruit impressionable youth from Jammu and Kashmir into proscribed terrorist organisations — particularly those sponsored and directed from across the border in Pakistan.
The investigation was launched after credible inputs revealed that individuals and entities based in Pakistan, in collusion with handlers of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other banned outfits, were exploiting social media to incite Kashmiri youth to take up arms against the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Earlier, three accused — Waseem Ahmad Sheikh of Kandoora Budgam, Junaid Ahmad Mir of Tikkipora Lolab, and Shabir Ahmad Gojri of Darbagh Harwan — had been chargesheeted in the same case.
Further investigation exposed the involvement of Aadil Ahmad Khan, who allegedly managed a dedicated online recruitment network via Facebook and Twitter, where he disseminated secessionist, anti-national, and pro-terror content aimed at glorifying terrorism and motivating youth to join banned organisations.
The probe established that Khan was actively aiding terrorist propaganda by amplifying digital content aligned with Pakistan-based terror groups and their offshoots, while also facilitating on-ground recruitment efforts.
The CIK spokesperson said the investigation continues, focusing on identifying and dismantling the broader online terror ecosystem, including handlers, sympathisers, and digital facilitators operating both within and outside Jammu and Kashmir.
He added that more arrests and disclosures are expected as the investigation progresses.
