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3 min readJammuMar 4, 2026 07:13 AM IST
26 tourists were killed at Baisaran in Pahalgam. (File Photo)
An NIA court in Jammu has issued a Letter Rogatory (letter of request) to the competent judicial authority in China for assistance in finding the supply chain and end-user details of an electronic device linked to the probe into last year’s terror attack in Pahalgam.
The move came in response to an application filed by NIA Deputy Inspector General Sandeep Choudhary under BNSS section 112, which empowers Indian courts to issue a ‘Letter of Request’ to authorities in foreign countries regarding evidence that may be outside India.
Terrorists had on April 22 last year killed 25 tourists and a local guide in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
Referring to the seizure of various material and electronic devices connected with the conspiracy and execution of the terrorist attack, the NIA application said that one such crucial electronic device was a GoPro camera, which it said was relevant for establishing pre-attack reconnaissance, movement and operational preparation of the terrorist module involved in the Pahalgam attack.
“A lawful notice under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was issued to the manufacturer GoPro B V, seeking details regarding the supply chain and activation of the said device,” the NIA said, adding that the manufacturer in its official response informed that the “said camera was supplied to AE Group International Limited, a distributor based in the People’s Republic of China; and the camera was activated on 30.01.2024 at Dongguan, People’s Republic of China”.
Pointing out that the activation, initial use and commercial trail of the said device lie within the territorial jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China, the NIA filed the application before the court as the “information necessary to trace the purchaser, end-user, and associated technical records can only be obtained through judicial assistance of the Chinese authorities”.
“Since India and China are not signatories to any mutual treaty…on the subject, in such an eventuality, assistance as requested can be sought under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) as both the nations have ratified the UNTOC,” observed NIA judge Prem Sagar, adding that the Ministry of Home Affairs has given its concurrence for the issuance of the Letter Rogatory to China to seek legal assistance in the investigation of the case.
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Pointing out that a draft Mutual Legal Assistance request is also annexed with the application, the judge held that the information sought is “very important for establishing the chain of custody, user, attribution and evidentiary linkage of the seized device, which was supplied to AE Group International Limited, a distributor based in the People’s Republic of China”.
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