NIA searches premises in five states over DDoS attacks on govt websites during Op Sindoor

Ahmedabad, Aug 24 (AHN) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted searches at five locations across five states as part of its investigation into a cyber-terrorism case involving attempted distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on 54 websites of Central government entities during 'Operation Sindoor'.

The searches were carried out at premises in Junnar in Maharashtra’s Pune district, Nadiad in Gujarat’s Kheda district, Ramagundam in Telangana’s Karimnagar district, Gopalganj in Bihar and Delhi in connection with a case registered on June 25 last year.

The case was initially registered by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being taken up by the NIA.

According to the agency, the accused had attempted sophisticated DDoS attacks targeting government websites, critical computer resources and Critical Information Infrastructure (CII).

The alleged attacks were carried out during Operation Sindoor with the stated intent of compromising India’s national sovereignty, security and unity and inciting public fear.

Two accused have already been arrested in the case. During the investigation, the NIA said its technical analysis identified suspects who allegedly provided support and assistance to the arrested accused, including in preparing for and improving their skills to carry out the DDoS attacks.

Search warrants were subsequently issued by the competent court, following which NIA teams conducted searches at the five locations on Monday morning.

The agency said several digital devices and documents containing incriminating material related to alleged hacking activities were seized during the searches.

The suspects were also questioned about their alleged association with the arrested accused. "A total of three laptops, five mobile phones and other digital devices, including pen drives, were seized following due procedure," officials said.

The NIA said its investigation into the case is continuing. The agency has previously pursued cases involving alleged cyberattacks on government infrastructure.