SrinagarIn a major crackdown on Hurriyat Conference, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Saturday raided 23 locations in Kashmir, Haryana and Delhi in connection with a case of funding allegedly received by separatist leadership in the Valley for running the anti-India movement.
Rs 70 lakhs cash, laptops, pen drives, property documents, letter pads of militant groups were seized during day long swoop, reports said.
After registering an FIR earlier this week, various NIA teams, which had been camping in Srinagar for few days, moved under heavy escort from their camp office located at Humhama, on the outskirts of the city.
According to sources, the NIA teams raided the residential houses of six resistance leaders and seven businessmen.
[[{“type”:”media”,”fid”:”18134″,”view_mode”:”wysiwyg”,”instance_fields”:”override”}]]
Among those whose residences were raided included separatist leaders Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bita Karatey and Gazi Baba, who during a recent sting operation of a TV channel had acknowledged of receiving funds from Pakistan for fomenting trouble in the Valley.
Sources said that the NIA raided houses of Hurriyat Conference (G) leader, Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Altaf Funtoosh at Qamarwari, Salvation Movement chairman Zaffar Akbar Bhat at Bagh-e-Mehtab, JKLF leader Noor Muhammad Kalwal at Nowgam, National Front chairman Nayeem Khan at Ibrahim Colony Natipora, JKLF (R) leader Farooq Dar alias Bitta Karatay at Guru Bazar and Hurriyat (M) Media Advisor Shahid-ul-Islam at Sanatnagar.
The businessmen whose houses were raided include Zahoor Ahmad Watali at Barzullah, Raja Zahoor Khan at Hyderpora, Muhammad Sultan Tangnuu at Azad Basti Natipora, Nazir Ahmad Mir alias Nazir Gais at Shamsabad Batamaloo, Farooq Ahmad Wani at Shamsabad Batamaloo, Muhammad Sultan Chandu at Natipora and Retired Dr Bashir Ahmad Bhat at Sheikhul Aalam Colony Nowgam.
According to sources, the teams of the NIA started raids since morning hours and continued the searches throughout the day. These sources revealed that some documents and cash were seized from the house of Zahoor Watali. The sources said that the searches were also carried out at the dry fruit shop of Muhammad Sultan Chandu at Koker Bazar in Lal Chowk.
[[{“type”:”media”,”fid”:”18135″,”view_mode”:”wysiwyg”,”instance_fields”:”override”}]]
A spokesman of NIA said cash, property related documents, letterheads of banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, pen-drives, laptops, and other incriminating documents were seized from the accused during the searches.
He said fresh locations revealed during the questioning of the inmates will also be searched.
Sources said about Rs 60-70 lakh were seized during the raids in the Valley.
This is for the first time since militancy erupted in 1990s that a central probe agency has carried out raids in connection with funding to the separatists.
Earlier in 2002, Income Tax department had carried out searches against separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Geelani, and seized cash and other documents. However, no criminal case had been registered then.
The preliminary inquiry was launched following a sting operation by a New-Delhi based news channel.
[[{“type”:”media”,”fid”:”18136″,”view_mode”:”wysiwyg”,”instance_fields”:”override”}]]
These reports further said that the preliminary enquiry was converted into an FIR against Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and other Pakistan-based militant groups.
The FIR, which does not name any of the separatist leaders, has been registered under legal provisions dealing with waging war or attempting to wage war against India, criminal conspiracy, and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the reports added.
The NIA, which had earlier registered a Preliminary Enquiry, also raided around eight hawala dealers and traders in Delhi, besides two in Sonepat, Haryana.
Reports from Delhi said, raids were carried out in Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Rohini and Greater Kailash II and at a cold storage in Haryana’s Sonepat.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
