NIA raids 15 sites in terror-funding case

Srinagar, February 10

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday raided 15 locations across Jammu and Kashmir as part of its crackdown on proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in a terror-funding case.

NIA teams raided various suspects at five locations in Srinagar, three in Budgam, two in Kulgam, one in Anantnag and four in Jammu, an official statement said.

The NIA statement said incriminating documents and digital devices connected with the activities of the JeI and its related trust in J&K were seized during the extensive searches, which also led to the recovery of over Rs 20 lakh cash.

“NIA investigations in the case, registered on February 15, 2021, have so far revealed that JeI and its members have continued to promote terrorist and secessionist activities in J&K even after the outfit was proscribed under UAPA in February 2019. Operatives of the banned organisation had been collecting funds through donations from within India and abroad,” it reads.

The statement said the funds were collected mainly in the form of Zakat, Mowda and Bait-ul-Mal, purported to promote charity and other welfare activities, such as health and education, but were instead being used for carrying out violent and secessionist activities.

“It was further found that the funds raised by JeI were also being channelled to other proscribed terrorist organisations, such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) etc, through well-organised networks of JeI cadres. JeI was also engaged in motivating impressionable youth and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in J&K to further its nefarious and secessionist activities,” it said. It added that the NIA had earlier chargesheeted four accused persons in the case in which investigations are continuing.