CIK Conducts Multiple Raids Across Kashmir, Phone Seized in UAPA Case

Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) teams conducted simultaneous raids on Saturday across three districts of the Kashmir Valley, seizing a Redmi 9 Note Pro mobile phone in connection with an ongoing Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case, official sources told the original report on the raids and the seized Redmi phone.

The coordinated searches swept Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Anantnag districts, all linked to a single FIR registered at the CIK’s Police Station JIC in Srinagar. Only the Anantnag operation had formally concluded by the time of last reporting, with searches at the Srinagar and Ganderbal addresses continuing. The Redmi 9 Note Pro was taken into custody for forensic examination under the same UAPA case file, officials said, with provisions cited in the FIR including those related to promoting enmity and criminal intimidation.

Coordinated Raids Across Three Kashmir Districts

CIK teams swept through residential locations in Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Anantnag districts on Saturday in a single coordinated operation. The searches are tied to one investigation: FIR No. 07/2023, registered at the CIK’s Police Station JIC in Srinagar. Each location was searched under the same set of charges drawn from the Indian Penal Code and the stringent UAPA.

Across the same FIR, investigators moved in parallel at multiple locations rather than executing separate warrants. Provisions cited in the case include those related to promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. Officials have not disclosed whether the three targets share a direct organisational link, and the searches at the Srinagar and Ganderbal homes were still underway when last reports came in. By contrast, the Anantnag operation concluded peacefully, with a single digital device taken into custody for forensic analysis. The broader inquiry remains open.

The Srinagar Search at Hokarsar

Official sources told KNS that in Srinagar, a CIK team conducted a raid at the residence of Riyaz Ahmad Beigh, son of Noor Mohammad Beigh, originally from Maharaj Gunj but currently residing at Hokarsar near Shalteng Police Station for the last 16 years. The CIK team moved against Beigh’s home as one prong of the broader Saturday operation. The raid marked the first of the three locations to be confirmed in the day’s reports. Beigh, whose family has been at the Hokarsar address for 16 years, was named in the same case file that anchors the Ganderbal and Anantnag operations.

The operation at the Hokarsar address was stated to be in progress at the time of last reporting. Sources did not immediately disclose whether any device or document was recovered from the residence.

The Hokarsar search connects directly to the same case file that anchors the Ganderbal and Anantnag operations. Investigators have not yet indicated whether the three individuals targeted are linked through any single organisational affiliation, and the case file is expected to evolve as forensic examination of any seized devices proceeds. Beigh’s home sits within the jurisdiction of the CIK’s own Police Station JIC, where the case is registered. The CIK has not disclosed whether the Hokarsar search recovered any digital devices, and the operation’s final status was still being confirmed when last reports came in. The case’s broad set of charges allows the same investigation to encompass raids separated by geography and target profile, with each location now feeding evidence into a single file.

Ganderbal Operation Led by DySP Nissar Ahmad

In the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal, a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Nissar Ahmad carried out searches at the house of Syed Qalandar Shah, son of Barkat Shah, a resident of Chountwaliwar Lar. The Ganderbal operation formed the second leg of the Saturday sweep, distinct from the Srinagar raid at Hokarsar but tied to the same FIR. Sources did not specify what items, if any, were recovered from the Chountwaliwar Lar residence during the search. The search operation was underway when last reports came in, with the DySP-led team still on site at the time of filing. Officials have not disclosed whether the Ganderbal search recovered any devices or documents.

The three Saturday raids share a common legal scaffold but diverge sharply in target profile. The case is registered at the CIK’s Police Station JIC in Srinagar and anchors all three operations under a single file. Officials have not yet disclosed the names of any organisation or network alleged to connect the three individuals, leaving open whether they were pursued as a coordinated cell or as separate lines of inquiry within the same FIR. The cross-district geography of the searches, from Srinagar city to central Kashmir’s Ganderbal and down to south Kashmir’s Anantnag, indicates the case has produced leads in at least three separate corners of the valley.

Anantnag Raid Targets Imam of Phali Masjid Nowgam

In the southern district of Anantnag, a CIK team led by the local Deputy Superintendent of Police raided the residence of Gulzar Ahmad Rather, 42, son of Abdul Gani Rather, of Nowgam, Kapran. The search team was accompanied by NT Mudasir Yosuf Bhat. The Anantnag leg of the Saturday operation produced the only named seizure reported across the three districts.

Rather, a Class 10 pass out, has been serving as the Imam at Phali Masjid Nowgam since 2012, according to official sources. He was named in the same case file that anchors the Srinagar and Ganderbal operations. Investigators descended on his Nowgam Verinag home as part of the coordinated sweep, and the team recovered a Redmi 9 Note Pro handset from the residence. The phone was taken into custody for forensic examination in connection with the UAPA case, sources added. The CIK has not disclosed what specifically in the handset the investigators are looking for, and no further details about Rather’s alleged role in the case were made public.

Officials confirmed that the raid in the Anantnag district concluded peacefully without any untoward incident. Searches at the other locations in the valley were continuing and further details were awaited, they added.

The Redmi 9 Note Pro Now in Forensic Custody

The Redmi 9 Note Pro seized at Nowgam Verinag now sits at the centre of the next phase of the investigation. Forensic examiners will work from the handset to extract whatever digital content the case file requires.

The Redmi 9 Note Pro is the only named seizure publicly identified across the three Saturday raids. Investigators have not disclosed which specific digital threads they are pursuing from the handset. Sources told KNS only that the phone was taken into custody for forensic examination in connection with the UAPA case.

Officials confirmed that the Anantnag raid is the only one of the three where a recovery has been reported, with the Srinagar and Ganderbal searches still underway at the time of last reporting. The CIK has not said when the forensic findings will be made public. No other items seized during the Saturday operation have been publicly identified by name. The investigation has produced one named device and three named residences so far.

The Redmi 9 Note Pro is the single named item recovered from the Saturday operation, taken from Nowgam Verinag during the only one of the three raids to formally conclude. Forensic examiners will extract whatever digital content the case requires from the handset. The CIK has not disclosed when findings from the device will be made public. Searches at the Hokarsar and Chountwaliwar Lar addresses remained in progress when last reports came in, and either could surface additional digital seizures before the case moves to its next stage. For now, the Redmi 9 Note Pro is the operation’s only confirmed piece of physical evidence.

• Device: Redmi 9 Note Pro
• Seized at: Nowgam Verinag, Anantnag district
• Current status: In forensic custody
• Legal basis: UAPA case linked to FIR No. 07/2023
• Distinctive mark: Only named seizure across the three Saturday raids

Charges Filed Under the 2023 FIR

FIR No. 07/2023 sits at the legal core of the Saturday operation. The case was registered at the CIK’s Police Station JIC in Srinagar, according to official sources. The FIR number itself dates the registration to the year 2023. Sources have not disclosed what triggered the original registration in 2023 or how the investigation reached the stage of conducting simultaneous raids across three districts on Saturday. The case file has now generated one publicly identified seizure and three named residences.

The charges filed under the FIR span two legal frameworks. Officials told KNS that the case invokes provisions of the Indian Penal Code alongside the stringent UAPA. Specific sections cited include those related to promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. Investigators have not yet released a full list of charges or any arrest counts tied to the Saturday raids.

• Indian Penal Code: various sections
• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA): provisions cited
• Promoting enmity: cited among the named provisions
• Criminal intimidation: cited among the named provisions

Anantnag Search Concludes, Other Locations Continue

By last reporting on Saturday, only the Anantnag raid had formally concluded, and only one seizure had been publicly identified. The Srinagar and Ganderbal searches were still underway.

Officials have not disclosed whether the three individuals targeted are linked through any common network or organisation alleged in the FIR. The Redmi 9 Note Pro seized at Nowgam Verinag is the only physical item taken into custody that sources have named so far. Sources told KNS that further details about the case and any potential arrests were awaited. The CIK has not yet indicated when forensic findings from the handset will be released.

The investigation is being run out of Police Station JIC in Srinagar under FIR No. 07/2023. Searches at the Srinagar and Ganderbal addresses remained ongoing at the time of last reporting.