New Delhi

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought China's judicial assistance to trace a GoPro Hero 12 Black camera linked to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 tourists.

The camera is considered crucial in establishing pre-attack reconnaissance, movement patterns and operational preparations of the terror module in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, as it was supplied to China-based AE Group International Limited more than a year before the deadly terror attack.

The camera was activated on January 30, 2024 at Dongguan--an industrial metropolis in China, and is among various material objects and electronic devices found and examined by the investigators connected with conspiracy and execution of terrorist attack which left 26 tourists dead, including a Nepali citizen, when terrorists started gunfire around 2 pm on April 22, 2025 in Baisaran picturesque meadow which is located around five kilometres from Pahalgam town in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

To trace the purchaser, end-user and associated technical records of the GoPro Hero 12 Black Camera, bearing serial No.C3501325471706, the National Investigation Agency (NIA)-- the Indian probe agency of the case-- would soon issue a Letter Rogatory or LR to the competent judicial authority of the People's Republic of China. LR is a formal and diplomatic request from a court in one country to the judiciary of another country.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has given the concurrence for issuance of LR to China for seeking legal assistance in the investigation of the case (RC-02/2025/NIA/JMU) dated April 27, 2025.

A special court in Jammu on March 2 allowed the NIA to seek judicial assistance from China to trace the purchaser and end-user of a GoPro camera allegedly linked to the conspiracy based on an application presented by the agency in Jammu court seeking approval for issuance of an LR to the competent judicial authority of the People's Republic of China, through the Ministry of External Affairs.

The NIA had stated in its application in the Jammu court that "during the course of investigation of the aforesaid case, various material objects and electronic devices connected with the conspiracy and execution of said terrorist attack have been examined. One such crucial electronic device is a GoPro Hero 12 Black Camera, bearing serial No.C3501325471706, which is relevant for establishing pre-attack reconnaissance, movement and operational preparation of the terrorist module involved in the Pahalgam attack."

The NIA informed the court that it had issued a lawful notice under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to the manufacturer GoPro B V, seeking details regarding the supply chain and activation of the device.

"In its official response, GoPro BV has informed that the camera was supplied to AE Group International Limited, a distributor based in the People's Republic of China. The camera was activated on January 30, 2024 at Dongguan, People's Republic of China. The manufacturer has further stated that it does not possess downstream transaction details or end-user records of the said device," NIA mentioned in its application.

NIA moved the application as the activation, initial use and commercial trail of the camera lie within the territorial jurisdiction of China, and 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, such as the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty Agreement (MLAT) on the subject, in such an eventuality, resort is taken to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) for seeking assistance as requested, as both nations have ratified the UNTOC.

The information linked to the seized GoPro Hero 12 Black camera is important in establishing the chain of custody, user, attribution and evidentiary linkage as it was supplied to China's AE group International Limited.

The court, on March 2 given its nod to the NIA based on its application to issue the LR to the competent judicial authority of the People's Republic of China for seeking assistance and tracing the purchaser, end user and associated technical records to unearth the larger conspiracy.

The NIA formally registered a First Information Report in the case on April 26 night following an order issued from Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the MHA, considering the gravity of the case as Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba's proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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The NIA took over the case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police five days after the incident, which is considered the deadliest assault on civilians in the region in almost twenty years.

The incident occurred at around 2 pm on April 22, 2025, when terrorists came down from the mountain in Baisaran valley and started firing at the tourists who frequent the place, which is often dubbed as 'mini Switzerland' because of its long, lush green meadows.