![[File] Security personnel inspect the site in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam | AFP](https://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/india/images/2025/4/27/NIA-Pahalgam.jpeg.image.340.191.jpg "[File] Security personnel inspect the site in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam | AFP")
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought assistance from Chinese authorities to trace a GoPro Hero 12 camera allegedly linked to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 last year.
A special court in Jammu has granted the central agency permission to request judicial assistance from China in tracing the purchaser and end-user of the camera.
The NIA had earlier filed an application seeking approval to issue a letter rogatory (LR) to the competent judicial authority in the neighbouring country. An LR is a formal diplomatic request from a court in one country to the judiciary of another, seeking information in an ongoing investigation.
“During the course of investigation of aforesaid case, various material objects and electronic devices connected with conspiracy and execution of said terrorist attack have been examined,” the NIA stated in its application to the Jammu court.
“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 terrorist module involved in Pahalgam attack.”
According to the agency, the information linked to the camera is key to establishing the chain of custody, user, attribution and evidentiary linkage.
The NIA had earlier approached GoPro BV, the camera's manufacturer, for details regarding its supply chain and activation. In its response, GoPro BV informed the agency that the camera had been 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 agency told the court. “The manufacturer has further stated that it does not possess downstream transaction details or end-user records of the said device.”
Dongguan is an industrial city in Guangdong Province, China.
However, accessing the camera poses a significant challenge for the NIA, as India and China are not signatories to mutual legal assistance treaties like the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). According to an ANI report, the agency is now likely to seek assistance under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed as Pakistan-based terrorists sprayed bullets at them after verifying their religious identity in Baisaran Valley, a scenic village, near Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for what was described as the deadliest attack on civilians in the region in decades.
