5 months ago
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The J&K Police acted against implicit 130 locals connected Thursday (January 1, 2026) in the Kashmir vale for possessing virtual backstage network (VPNs) applications connected their mobile phones. The usage of VPNs person been banned successful each 10 districts of Kashmir successful the past 1 week.
According to a constabulary spokesman, the J&K Police identified 95 VPN users successful southbound Kashmir’s Pulwama and initiated “preventive action” against them. “The Pulwama Police enforced the District Magistrate’s connected unauthorized VPN usage. Ninety 5 individuals were identified and pursuing method scrutiny and inheritance verification, nary terror-related adverse inheritance was detected and nary FIR has been registered,” the spokesperson said.
As a preventive measure, the constabulary said, “security proceedings person been initiated against 43 individuals, chiefly successful the 18–40 property group, for usurpation of the said orders”. “Genuine users were released aft elaborate instrumentality investigation with a strict informing to refrain from VPN usage successful the future,” the constabulary said.
In Baramulla’s Sopore area, the constabulary said 23 individuals were recovered “using unauthorized VPN services successful usurpation of the prohibitory orders.” “Security proceedings person been initiated against 15 specified individuals for non-compliance with the orders,” the constabulary said.
A constabulary enactment was besides taken against 5 individuals successful Anantnag and six successful Kulgam successful south Kashmir, officials said.
In abstracted orders, the territory magistrate of 10 districts of the Valley person banned the usage of VPNs. The prohibition orders were issued nether Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, pursuing the constabulary inputs regarding “suspicious usage”.
The bid said specified usage has the imaginable to beryllium exploited for unlawful and anti-national activities, including incitement of unrest, dissemination of inflammatory material, and coordination of activities prejudicial to the attraction of nationalist order.
“It was further observed that VPNs alteration encrypted information transmission, disguise IP addresses, bypass firewalls and website restrictions, and whitethorn exposure delicate accusation to imaginable cyber threats,” the orders said.
Several districts successful the Pir Panchal vale and the Chenab vale successful the Jammu portion person besides banned VPN services successful the past 1 year.
Meanwhile, information forces traced an ammunition packet successful Poonch territory connected Thursday, seemingly dropped by utilizing a drone from crossed the Line of Control (LoC).
Officials said the Army’s 06 Madras Regiment destroyed an Improvised Explosive Device, weighing astir 2 kilograms.
Officials said the payload besides included 70 AK-47 rounds and 1 kg narcotics. After a precocious alert, the information forces launched aggregate hunt operations successful the region.
