JAMMU: A GoPro action camera recovered during the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack has led investigators to China, with a Jammu court allowing the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to seek assistance from Chinese authorities.
Investigators told the court that the GoPro camera — now in NIA custody as a crucial piece of reconnaissance evidence — was first activated in Dongguan, a city in China’s Guangdong province, nearly 15 months before the attack.
The camera is believed to be linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who killed 25 tourists and a Kashmiri pony handler at Baisaran in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 last year.
On Monday, the special court approved the NIA’s request to issue a letter rogatory, a formal judicial request sent from one country to another seeking legal assistance in an investigation. The request will be sent to the Chinese government through India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
The Union home ministry has already cleared the request submitted by NIA Deputy Inspector General Sandeep Choudhary.
The GoPro Hero 12 Black camera, bearing serial number C3501325471706, was among several electronic devices and items seized during the probe into the attack targeting tourists in one of Kashmir’s most popular destinations.
According to the NIA, identifying who purchased and activated the device in China could help establish the reconnaissance conducted before the attack, as well as the movement patterns and operational planning of the Pakistan-backed terror module operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
As part of the investigation, the agency earlier issued a notice to GoPro BV seeking details about the distribution chain and activation of the camera.
The company informed investigators that the device had been supplied to AE Group International Ltd, a distributor based in China, and was activated in Dongguan on January 30, 2024.
However, GoPro said it does not maintain downstream transaction records or end-user details, meaning only Chinese authorities may be able to identify the individual who purchased the device.
Since India and China do not have a bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, the request will be routed through the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, which both countries have ratified.
The court noted that the information sought by the NIA is “very important in establishing the chain of custody, user attribution and evidentiary linkage of the camera to the wider conspiracy.”
It directed the investigating officer to upload the request — along with Chinese translations — on the mutual legal assistance portal and forward copies through the CBI’s international police cooperation unit in New Delhi for transmission to Chinese authorities through diplomatic channels.
