SRINAGAR: A detailed investigation report on infiltration bids and seven subsequent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir has observed that Pakistani infiltrators use new moon nights and typically use the 2 am-5 am time band — when night vision devices (NVDs) are not fully activated — to enter India via the 202-km long international border (IB).

The report, prepared by National Investigation Agency (NIA) and shared with Jammu and Kashmir Police, has studied some three dozen terror attacks or encounters with security forces. It has used call detail records (CDRs), recovery of ICOM VHF sets and statements by the accused in terror cases.

The report says both Jaish-e-Muhammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan would share GPS locations of points with their contacts in the Valley before arriving at the IB.

Both JeM and LeT have used Samba-Jammu-Udhampur and Samba-Mansa-Udhampur national highways (NH) to either travel to Kashmir or launch attacks in Nagrota and Jhajjar Kotli in Jammu in 2016 and 2018, in which more than 20 securitymen were killed, says the report.

It adds that overground workers (OGWs) from the Valley used trucks to pick up from Samba, Dayalchak and Bein River bridge to transport them to their locations.

“Bein River and Tarna Nala on NH 44 is where militants were received on seven different occasions in the last terror attacks,” the report says, adding that “time of pick from the rendezvous point on national highway generally used to be in early morning hours before sunrise. For instance, on intervening night of May 13-14, 2018, the 173 battalion of BSF spotted suspicious movement of five persons in Tarna Nala near Bobiya rear post. On the same day five militants were received at Bein River Bridge on NH 44 by one Ashaq Ahmad Nengroo and Mohammad Iqbal Rather.”

The report says local JeM and LeT cadres would arrive at the location two days prior to “new moon day”. This was observed in both the 2016 Nagrota Army camp and 2018 Jhajjar Kotli attacks.

The report also says that terrorists were in contact with their JeM handlers in Pakistan through wireless VHF sets and not Internet.

"In this case, the main kingpin of the module, Negroo, used to communicate with Pakistan-based leaders and handlers through WhatsApp calls. He never communicated with terrorists directly. But the infiltrated terrorists used to communicate with handlers at a control room called Alpha 3 in Pakistan via ICOM VHF sets. This has been corroborated,' the report says.

“The arrested JeM cadres have revealed they used free WiFi available in market area for making WhatsApp calls and text messages," it adds.