SRINAGAR: The NIA on Tuesday carried out searches at nearly a dozen places in Baramulla and Srinagar districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with two separate cases related to arrested Deputy Superintendent of J-K Police Devender Singh and misuse of cross-LoC trade, officials said.
The agency swooped on different locations and seized several incriminating documents and digital devices during the searches, a spokesperson of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) said.
He said multiple locations were searched in Baramulla and one location in Srinagar in connection with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Naveed Babu who was arrested along with Singh and two other associates early this year.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against Singh and others in July for alleged terror activities in the country.
In the Hizbul Mujahideen case, the spokesperson said the houses of five close associates of accused Tariq Mir were searched.
Mir is a resident of Maldera village of Shopian who was arrested by the NIA on April 29 for his role in smuggling and supply of weapons to the terrorists of the outfit.
The house of Mir's wife Shareen Bibi at Chinad village of Baramulla, Azad Ahmad Pir's house at Dardkote (Uri), Haleema Begum's house at Boniyar (Uri), Shaheen Lone's house at Kanspora Baramulla and his father-in-law's house at Waza Mohalla Palhallan in Baramulla district and Tafazul Parimoo at Rehmatabad-Hyderpora in Srinagar district were searched, the spokesperson said.
He said the instant case was registered on January 11 when Babu and Rafi Ahmad Rather were apprehended along with Singh and Irfan Shafi Mir alias 'Advocate' near Qazigund on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
"The investigation had revealed a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen leadership and Pak ISI and an OGW network that facilitates the supply of funds and arms and ammunition to the HM terrorists in J&K," the spokesperson said.
He said the searches were also carried out at the premises of four traders in connection with illegalities in cross-LoC trade which remained suspended last year for allegedly funnelling illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency into India.
The house of Peer Arshid Iqbal alias 'Ashu' and Tariq Ahmad Sheikh, both of whom are in jail in connection with separate narcotics cases, were searched at Khwaja Bagh and Tawheed Gunj in Baramulla respectively, the spokesperson said.
While Iqbal is lodged in Kathua jail, Sheikh is undergoing detention in Baramulla jail.
The others whose houses were searched include district level Hurriyat leader Bashir Ahmad Sofi at Khwajabagh and Abdul Hamid Lone of Gundpura village of Sopore.
"Searches have yielded several incriminating documents and digital devices. Further investigation in the case is continued" the spokesperson said.