The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted raids at multiple locations in nine districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with various cases under investigation by the agency.
Extensive searches were conducted in Srinagar, Budgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Awantipora, Anantnag, Handwara, Kupwara, and Poonch districts relating to members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and overground workers involved in conspiracies hatched by militant organizations and their affiliates, a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reads.
It reads that NIA’s searches also focused on the J&K militancy funding case, registered suo moto by the agency on 5th February 2021.
A large number of incriminating documents and digital devices with incriminating contents have been seized during these searches and are being scrutinized to track further links of the suspects, the statement said.
The militancy funding case pertains to the collection of funds by JeI (J&K) ostensibly for charitable purposes but has been using them instead for promotion of militant activities by militant organisations, such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) etc, it added.
“NIA had earlier chargesheeted four persons in the case, involving well-organised cadres of the terrorist outfits operating in J&K. The NIA had, on 21st June 2022, registered another case against the various banned terrorist organisations and their newly floated affiliates. The case related to the conspiracies being hatched physically and in cyberspace by these outfits for carrying out violent terrorist attacks in J&K with sticky bombs, IEDs and small arms etc. The banned organisations and their affiliates have been engaged in conspiring to commit acts of terror and violence by radicalizing local youth and mobilizing overground workers with the aim of disrupting the peace and communal harmony of J&K,” it said.
Continuing with its investigations in both these cases, the statement said that the NIA has been moving swiftly to take action against some of the recently launched affiliates of the banned militant organisations, such as LeT, HUM, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, etc.
“Among the affiliates under NIA scrutiny are The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF.”
NIA investigations so far have shown that cadres and workers of these outfits are involved in collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, drugs and weapons & ammunition, as well as in spreading activities relating to militant, violence and subversion in J&K,” the statement said—(KNO)