NIA conducts fresh raids in Shopian

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 2

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the police-militant nexus in Kashmir, on Sunday carried out fresh raids in south Kashmir’s Shopian district in connection with the arrest of the tainted police officer Davinder Singh along with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (Hizb) militants last month.

Officials of the central investigating agency conducted raids at the residence of the BJP sarpanch Tariq Mir at Maldera village of Shopian and residences of several active militants.

“The NIA conducted raids at several places in Shopian district on Sunday. Bank passbooks and incriminating documents from various locations were seized,” a police official told The Tribune. The NIA raided houses of active Hizb militants Adil Pala and Rahil Magray in Shopian. “Raids were conducted at the locations identified by Singh,” he said.

Officials said a 20-member team of the NIA, led by a DIG-rank officer, arrived in Kashmir on Saturday to gather information on Singh and his contacts in the militant ranks.

They held a meeting with the J&K police officials in south Kashmir’s Anantnag from where Singh was arrested along with Hizb commander Naveed Babu and his two associates, Rafi Rather and Irfan Mir, on January 11.

After the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notification, allowing the NIA to take over the case from the J&K Police, the Central agency got the transit remand of Singh last week.

Singh brought Hizb commander Naveed Babu and his two accomplices — Rafi Rather and Mir Irfan — from Shopian to Srinagar on January 9. They stayed overnight at the house of Singh in the Indra Nagar locality housing Army’s Srinagar-based strategic 15 Corps. However, they were arrested the next day on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Wanpoh in south Kashmir when they were on way to Jammu.

An FIR was filed against Singh under various Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act. A former counter-insurgency officer, Singh was posted at the sensitive Srinagar international airport. He is also seen in recent pictures receiving foreign envoys at the Srinagar airport.

Meanwhile, the NIA has arrested a man identified as Tahir Sheikh of Nazninpora village in Shopian district. It said Sheikh had close links with Hizb Commander Naveed Babu.