NIA conducts raids in Kashmir, Delhi over terror funding in Valley

Asia

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted raids across Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi after converting a preliminary enquiry into terror funding, allegedly involving Hurriyat leaders, into a regular case.

NIA chief Sharad Kumar told TOI that 21 locations, including 14 in Kashmir and 7 in Delhi, were raided on early Saturday morning and added that the raids are likely to continue till afternoon.

Sources said that the locations being raided are residences and offices belonging to Hurriyat members and big hawala traders suspected to have acted as conduits for terror funding in the Valley.

In Delhi, raids are being conducted in Greater Kailash, Pitampura and Ballimaran in Chandni Chowk.

One of the NIA teams, which includes an Enforcement Directorate representative, has already recovered cash worth Rs 1.25 crore in the raid at a residential location in Kashmir, TOI has learnt.

As per the case registered by the NIA 4-5 days ago, terror funds allegedly sourced from Pakistan-based terror outfits like Lashker e Taiba were used for fuelling unrest in the Valley through incidents of stone-pelting and targeting of schools and public property.
NIA had recently questioned Hurriyat leaders Naeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate and Javed Ahmed Baba alias Gazi at Srinagar and Delhi regarding their involvement in raising, collecting and transferring funds through hawala and other channels for terror funding in Kashmir.

Terror funding in Valley

According to an estimate of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Pakistan-based terror groups finance terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir by generating millions in donations through their charity organisations.

Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a charity run by terror outfits Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Al Rehmat Trust, backed by another terrorists group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), have been supporting terrorists and funding terrorism in Kashmir.
These outfits collect donations from people in Pakistan and then pass on the money to finance terrorism in Kashmir through their over ground workers, an NIA official has said.

'Al Rehmat Trust' distributes pamphlets to raise funds for sacrificing animals during Eid and after collecting the money, they finance terrorism.

Source: timesofindia