NIA raids continue across Kashmir
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), Thursday continued its crackdown on the ‘terror funding’ as the officials carried out raids at eight different places in the summer capital, two places in Jammu and Delhi’s NCR region.
According to the reports, the NIA today raided the house of Separatist Shabir Shah’s Personal Assistant Zameer Sheikh in Nowgam, Srinagar, and Hurriyat (M) leader Syed Aga Hassan in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. The agency also raided the residence of Hurriyat Conference (G) General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Sumji in South Kashmir’s Bijbihara.
The NIA also raided the residence of Showkat Bakshi in Bemina Srinagar who is a close aide of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Muhammad Yaseen Malik.
Meanwhile, the agency also raided the residential house of Abdul Khaliq Mir in Kralpora area of Kupwara. Mir is said to be the trader dealing in the cross border LoC trade from Uri. It also raided the residence of Ghulam Rasool, in Kandi area of Kupwara, who is said to be present in Pakistan on an Indian passport. Rasool is also a businessman particularly dealing with the cross border LoC trade.
Raids were also conducted in Natipora, Gulshan Nagar, Mandar Bagh, S. R. Gung and Batmaloo areas of Srinagar.
Pertinently, the NIA also conducted raids in many parts of the valley seizing incriminating evidence against the accused.
The agency said that it conducted searches at 27 locations in Delhi and Srinagar yesterday.
“The places searched include houses and business establishments of those (traders/hawala operators etc.) who are suspected of channelizing funds to fuel secessionist and anti-India activities,” a press statement by the investigating agency said.
The statement said that during the searches, cash amounting to approximately Rs. 2.20 Crores has been recovered besides incriminating documents pertaining to financial transactions. Digital devices in large number including laptops, mobile phones, and hard discs have also been seized during the search.
“The diaries pertaining to contacts of hawala operators/ traders, ledger books containing accounts of cross border LOC trade of various trading companies have been recovered. Some details of bank accounts of Jammu and Kashmir were also recovered. Travel documents of some entities showing their visits to the UAE have also been recovered,” it said.
The NIA visited Srinagar in May to probe the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir and questioned several Separatist leaders on the issue of raising, collecting and transferring funds via the Hawala route and other channels to fund terror activities in Kashmir.
Earlier on Monday, the NIA also summoned Kashmir Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom at the Delhi Headquarters.
Last month, the NIA arrested seven Kashmiri separatists – Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehraj Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate for funding terror in the Kashmir Valley.
The NIA had also summoned Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s second son to Delhi in the terror-funding case.
The NIA is said to be probing all aspects of funding to separatist leaders and how they reportedly used these funds to fuel unrest in the Kashmir Valley.
KV Correspondent
