Raids Conducted At 15 Places In Jammu And Kashmir In Terror Funding Case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday carried out raids at 15 locations across Jammu and Kashmir and seized Rs 20 lakh as part of its crackdown on the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in a terror funding case.

The anti-terror agency teams in close coordination with the Central and State security forces swooped down on the premises of various suspects at five locations in Srinagar, three in Budgam, two in Kulgam, four in Jammu and one in Anantnag districts of the Union Territory.

In the raids, the NIA said, incriminating documents and digital devices connected with the activities of JeI and its related Trusts in Jammu and Kashmir were seized along with the recovery of over Rs 20 lakh in cash.

The NIA investigations in the case were registered on February 5, 2021, have so far revealed that JeI and its members have continued to promote terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir even after the outfit was proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in February 2019, said the agency.

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

As per the NIA, 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), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) etc, through well organised networks of JeI cadres. JeI was also engaged in motivating impressionable youth and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in J&K to further its nefarious and secessionist activities," revealed the NIA citing its investigations.

The NIA had earlier chargesheeted four accused persons in the case, in which investigations are continuing.

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