Srinagar, Feb 07: The State Investigating Agency (SIA) on Wednesday raided residence of cleric Sarjan Barkati in connection with alleged crowdfunding in 2016 violent agitation from suspected terror sources utilized for personal benefits.
A police officer told Rising Kashmir that sleuths of SIA with the assistance of local police and CRPF carried out the raid at Sarjan Barkati home in Reban village at around 9 am in the morning and it continued for several hours.
Barkati who was famous for mobilizing thousands onto streets during the 2016 violent agitation, through his incendiary oratory and was known as the ‘Piedpiper of Valley’.
The SIA spokesman said that SIA has registered a case FIR No 02/23 related to Crowdfunding against Sarjan Barkati and others in which he has raised huge funds amounting more than 1.5 Crore, with his family making emotional appeals to the general public to support them for day to day needs.
He said preliminary investigations have shown Sarjan Barkati has diverted a substantial part of the funds for his personal benefit.
He said under this garb he not only generated huge funds but prima facie also laundered money coming from unknown sources suspected to have originated from terror outfits for further use in sustaining the secessionist-terrorist campaign.
“So far SIA have identified 10 suspects whose involvement has surfaced in the initial investigation. The raids spread over many districts of Kashmir are underway,” he said.
