Pulwama probe: NIA used DNA, other forensic tests to trace evidence that had 'blown to pieces'

According to the chargesheet made by NIA, Mohammed Umar Farooq, the nephew of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, had received Rs 10 lakh in his bank accounts in Pakistan to execute the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed in February last year.

The case posed unique challenges, such as a lot of evidence having blown to pieces in the suicide attack and seven accused being subsequently killed in encounters. However, the central agency used forensic tests including DNA  profiling of the meagre evidence to breach the dead ends.

The first challenge was to establish the ownership of the car used by Adil Ahmad Dar, the suicide bomber, according to the chargesheet in the case filed by the NIA in a special court in Jammu on Tuesday.

The official said that the JeM terrorists also wanted to make an audio-video clip on suicide bomber Aadil Ahmed Dar, who rammed the explosive-laden car into a security convoy bus on 14 February in 2019, in Kashmiri language to motivate the youths in the Valley.

The messages were shared in the form of audio clips through WhatsApp used on Pakistani SIM cards, which Farooq used after his ingress into India.

"However, this plan was shelved due to the Balakot air strikes as they were told to lie low," the official said.

The terror attack was initially probed by the J&K police in partnership with the CRPF, the Army, other security forces and intelligence agencies. However, the case was soon handed over to the NIA for investigation by the Union Home Ministry. 

The chargesheet has been filed after the case was registered against the accused under various sections of J&K’s (now defunct) Ranbir Penal Code, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Foreigners Act and J&K Public Property (Prevention of Damages) Act.