The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday returned to Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam to conduct a detailed 3D mapping of the site where 26 tourists were killed in a recent terror attack. Officials said the reconstruction effort is based on witness testimonies and technical inputs to pinpoint the movement and location of all involved.
According to sources familiar with the probe, the anti-terror agency relied on the statements of victims’ families, pony operators, local vendors, and workers who were present at the meadow on April 22. The team also used satellite imagery, surveillance footage, and videos taken by investigators at the site to build an accurate visual representation of the incident.
“A NIA team, armed with the testimonies of the family members of those killed present at Baisaran on April 22, the pony operators, vendors and other workers there, as well as technical data like satellite imagery, video footage of the meadow shot by the investigation team, visited the site on Wednesday for 3D mapping,” said an officer who requested anonymity.
He added, “The 3D mapping will provide accurate, graphic-rich visualization of the attack site, which can be used while questioning hundreds of people without bringing them to the site and understand the exact location of everyone who was present that day, entry and exit points of the terrorists, and the radius in which the killings took place.”
The mapping exercise, supported by forensic experts, mirrors techniques previously employed by the NIA in high-profile cases such as the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the RG Kar hospital rape case. During the Pulwama investigation, officials mapped the route of suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar and traced where explosives like RDX and gelatin sticks were procured.
Sharing more on this, another officer said, “The route taken by Maulana Masood Azhar’s nephew Umar Farooq, suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar, and places from where the terrorists collected gelatin sticks, ammonium nitrate, ammonium powder and RDX were mapped.”
Currently, an Inspector General-rank officer is leading the on-ground probe in Pahalgam. Investigators have questioned several individuals, including overground workers of terror groups, local pony guides, vendors, photographers, and adventure sport staff to gather leads.
So far, authorities believe four to five terrorists carried out the brutal ambush. Sketches of three have been released—Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai and Hashim Musa alias Suleiman, both believed to be Pakistani nationals, and a local operative, Adil Hussain Thoker. All are currently being pursued by Indian security forces.
The NIA officially took over the case on Sunday. The attack has been attributed to the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), operating through its proxy outfit The Resistance Front (TRF).
