NIA carries out raids at 15 locations in JEI terror funding case in J&K

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted raids at 15 locations across Jammu and Kashmir as part of its crackdown on the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in a terror funding case, an official said.

The raids in the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu along with Budgam in central and Kulgam and Anantnag in south Kashmir led to the seizure of incriminating documents and digital devices connected with the activities of JeI and its related Trusts and more than Rs 20 lakh, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

However, official sources said two persons were also detained in Jammu for questioning during the raids targeting a private school and its functionaries including chairman at Gujjar Nagar and Shaheedi chowk in Jammu.

They said the residences of former Jamaat chief Sheikh Ghulam Hassan and another leader, Sayar Ahmad Reshi, in Kulgam district were among those raided.

The Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir was banned by the Centre for five years in February 2019.

The spokesperson said NIA teams swooped down on the premises of various suspects at five locations in Srinagar, three in Budgam, two in Kulgam, one in Anantnag, and four in Jammu.

"The investigations in the case, registered on February 5, 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 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in February 2019," the spokesperson said.

The person added, "Operatives of the banned organisation had been collecting funds through donations from within India and abroad."

The NIA said 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, but were instead being used for carrying out violent and secessionist activities.

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) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) through well organised networks of JeI cadres, the spokesperson said.

The official said JeI was also engaged in inciting impressionable youth and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in J&K to further its secessionist activities.

NIA had earlier chargesheeted four accused in the case, in which investigation is still on, the spokesperson said.