SRINAGAR: A day after three top Kashmiri separatist leaders said they would court arrest outside National Investigation Agency headquarters in New Delhi on September 9, the NIA on Thursday conducted fresh raids on residences of separatist leaders and traders at 10 locations in Jammu and Kashmir in its ongoing investigation into the militancy and separatist funding in the State.
The NIA sleuths seized FDs worth Rs 1 crore and other incriminating material during the raids and searches.
An NIA spokesman said NIA sleuths conducted raids on the residences and offices of separatist leaders and traders engaged in cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade today.
He said the raids and searches were conducted at nine locations in Kashmir, one in Jammu, winter capital of the State. “A raid was also conducted at a premise at Gurugram”.
Among those whose premises were searched include separatist leaders Ghulam Nabi Sumji and Syed Aga Hassan Budgami, both close to hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani.
The NIA teams also raided the residences Zameer Sheikh and Razzaq Choudhary, both close aides of senior separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, who is in custody of Enforcement Directorate.
Besides, the NIA team also raided and searched the house of JKLF leader Showkat Ahmad Bakshi. He is close confidant of JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik.
The NIA spokesman said offices of the Chartered Accountants of leading Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who is already under NIA custody, and residences of cross-LoC traders were also searched.
Sources said the raids were conducted in central, south and north Kashmir.
“Those raided are suspected of fuelling secessionist and subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir,” they said.
The NIA spokesman said the raids and searches were conducted in connection with the ongoing probe into militancy and separatist funding and cross-LoC trade.
“During searches, FDs worth over Rs 1 crore, incriminating material, suspect financial records, property-related documents and electronic devices have been seized,” he said adding the suspects were questioned about the incriminating recoveries made from them.
The separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik had yesterday announced that they would stage a sit-in in front of NIA headquarters in New Delhi on September 9 and court arrest to protest “unjustifiable NIA raids and vilification of Kashmiri people by the investigation agency.”
The NIA is also questioning Kashmir Bar Association president Mian Abdul Qayoom and Naeem Geelani and Naseem Geelani, sons of Syed Ali Geelani.
The NIA is probing the militancy and separatist funding in Jammu and Kashmir and has already arrested nine people including seven separatist leaders, Sikh lawyer from Jammu and a leading businessman in the Valley. Among the arrested separatist leaders includes Gelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Altaf Funtoosh.
The NIA had registered a case on May 30 against separatist leaders for acting in connivance with militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba and other groups and woman separatist group Dukhtaran-e-Millat for raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means including hawala for funding separatist and militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir.