The NIA logo.
Credit: DH File Photo
Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday carried out a series of raids across 10 locations in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a case related to the banned organization, Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
The crackdown, part of a concerted effort to curb terrorist activities and dismantle their networks, unfolded in the predawn hours at the premises of various suspects at five locations in Srinagar, three in Budgam, two in Kulgam, one in Anantnag and four in Jammu.
In Kashmir the NIA sleuths assisted by the police and paramilitary CRPF, searched the premises of JeI-linked people while in Gujjar Nagar area of Jammu city similar searches were conducted, officials said and added these raids mainly took place at premises owned by the members of the banned JeI.
Inside the raided premises, the NIA officials meticulously sifted through documents, electronic devices, and any semblance of evidence that could unravel the intricate web of JeI’s clandestine operations. Besides over Rs 20 lakh cash was seized during the raid.
The NIA investigations have revealed that the JeI members have continued to promote terrorist and secessionist activities in J&K even after the outfit was banned under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in February 2019, officials said The 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 (charity) 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,” a statement by NIA spokesperson said.
It was further found that the funds raised by JeI were also being channeled to terror organizations like Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) through well organised networks of JeI cadres.
The JeI was also engaged in motivating impressionable youth and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in J&K to further its nefarious and secessionist activities, the statement said.
Earlier the NIA had charged four accused in the case, in which investigations are continuing.
The NIA raids serve as a stark reminder of its ongoing crackdown against extremism and the imperative of collective vigilance in J&K.
Since 2017, the NIA and the Enforcement Department (ED) have arrested dozens of separatist leaders, businessmen and others having connections with the terror organizations in the Valley in alleged terror funding cases. The investigative agencies have also interrogated several media persons in the valley.