Who bought the GoPro? NIA turns to China to trace camera allegedly used for Pahalgam recce

Special NIA court in Jammu permits judicial request to Chinese authorities after manufacturer cites lack of downstream transaction data.

• NIA gets court approval to seek China's help tracing GoPro buyer
• Camera linked to 2025 Pahalgam terror attack probe
• GoPro activation and sale records lie within China’s jurisdiction

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India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured court approval to issue a Letter Rogatory to Chinese authorities to trace the purchaser and end user of a GoPro Hero 12 Black camera allegedly used to conduct reconnaissance of Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley ahead of the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, according to a report by The Print.

The special NIA court in Jammu granted permission after the agency informed it that key information relating to the camera’s activation, initial use and commercial trail lies within the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cleared the process, the court noted, the report added.

According to submissions made by the NIA before the special court, as reported by The Print, the camera was supplied by the US-based manufacturer, GoPro B.V., to AE Group International Limited, a distributor based in China. The agency told the court that the device was activated on January 30, 2024, in Dongguan, China.

The NIA had earlier issued a notice to GoPro B.V. seeking details of the purchaser, end user and associated technical records of the device. In its response, the manufacturer stated that it does not possess downstream transaction data and does not have information on the device’s end-user records.

“The manufacturer has further stated that it does not possess downstream transactions. The activation, initial use and commercial trail of the said device lie within the territorial jurisdiction of the People’s Republic 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,” the NIA submitted before the court, as per the report by The Print.

The agency informed the court that it has so far been unable to trace the camera’s end-user records or establish how the device was transported from China to Jammu and Kashmir. To establish linkage, user attribution and evidentiary chain of custody, it sought judicial permission to formally approach Chinese authorities.

In its order, the special NIA judge observed that the information sought is “very important” for establishing the chain of custody, user attribution and evidentiary linkage of the seized device. The court allowed the application and directed that the Letter Rogatory be issued to the competent Chinese judicial authority.

The court further directed the investigating officer to upload a soft copy of the Letter Rogatory, along with translated versions, on the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) portal. It also ordered that three sets of the physical Letter Rogatory, one original and two photocopies — along with Chinese translations, be sent to the International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The IPCU, designated as the nodal unit for communication with global agencies and Interpol, has been directed to forward the request to Chinese authorities through diplomatic channels.

The development comes as part of the NIA’s ongoing investigation into the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people, including a Nepalese tourist, were killed. The agency has been examining material objects and electronic devices allegedly connected to the conspiracy and execution of the attack.

Following the attack, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. In July 2025, the government informed Parliament that security personnel had eliminated the three terrorists involved in the attack.

The NIA has told the court that tracing the purchaser, end user and associated technical records of the camera is necessary to establish the larger conspiracy behind the attack.