Srinagar, Feb 10: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday raided 15 locations across Jammu and Kashmir as part of its crackdown on the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in a terror funding case.
Accompanied by police and CRPF personnel, sleuths from the NIA raided several residential houses at multiple locations early on Saturday in south Kashmir parts.
A NIA Spokesman said that NIA teams raided residential premises of various suspects at five locations in Srinagar, three in Budgam, two in Kulgam, one in Anantnag and four in Jammu city including Gujjar Nagar and Shaheedi Chowk.
“We also conducted searches at JeI head office in Jammu and one school, including Islamic Model High School at Gujjar Nagar,” he said.
The spokesman said during the searches incriminating documents and digital devices connected with the activities of JeI and its related Trusts in J&K were seized during the extensive searches, which also led to the recovery of over 20 lakh rupees in cash,” he said.
The spokesman said that NIA investigations in the case, registered on 5th February 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 UA(P) Act in February 2019.
“Operatives of the banned organisation had been collecting funds through donations from within India and abroad. 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,” he said.
The spokesman said as per NIA investigations funds were instead being used for carrying out violent and secessionist activities in the region.
“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.
The NIA spokesman said that JeI was also engaged in motivating impressionable youth and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in J&K to further its nefarious and secessionist activities.
“So far NIA has presented chargesheet 4 accused persons in the case, in which investigations are underway,” he said.
