In its ongoing investigation against the outlawed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) group in a terror funding case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been planning another series of raids against its cadres in Jammu and Kashmir next week.
These raids would be in continuation to the 61 search operations conducted by the anti-terror agency’s sleuths on 8 August and 9 August in Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and Rajouri districts in Jammu and Kashmir.
Highly placed sources in the NIA said that the fresh set of searches would be conducted on the premises of JeI cadres and their supporters across Jammu and Kashmir any time next week.
The official, requesting anonymity, said, “These searches are being planned as the NIA investigator has found ‘some more leads’ in connection with the case.’
“We (NIA) have got new leads during questioning of over a dozen JeI cadres and suspects linked to the banned organisation,” said the official.
Another NIA official, privy to the ongoing investigation in the case, said that 10 JeI cadres and suspects were examined for over a week at the agency headquarters here and more than five suspects are still being questioned.
Those JeI suspects examined by the NIA sleuths in the last few days belong to Ganderbal, Srinagar, Kupwara, Bandipora, Rajouri and Doda districts, said the official.
“We are looking for some more people linked to the JeI case and they will be summoned very soon as the examination is an ongoing process,” said the official.
The NIA is now engaged in “building up” the case as the suspects being questioned are among those JeI cadres whose residential premises were raided by the NIA sleuths during its 8 August and 9 August raids at the 61 locations in 14 districts in Jammu and Kashmir in the terror funding case.
The suspects are being questioned regarding the documents seized from their premises during the raids, said the official.
The official further said that the ongoing questioning with four-five JeI cadres would be continued for at least one more week.
“As we (NIA) are done with searches, the suspects are currently being examined with the documents recovered from their houses…This is just a preliminary examination in the case. We are trying to build up the case,” said the official.
The NIA along with Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had conducted searches at 56 locations on 8 August at 14 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. In continuation of the searches, the NIA sleuths further conducted searches at five more locations on 9 August.
The searches included the premises of office bearers of the JeI, its members and also offices of trusts purportedly run by the proscribed organisation. Various incriminating documents and electronic devices were seized from the premises of the suspects.
JeI is an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) banned the organisation on 28 February 2019.
The case was registered against it by NIA on 5 February this year in pursuance of to order from MHA relating to “separatist and secessionist activities of JeI even after its proscription”.
NIA investigation has so far revealed that the “members of JeI have been collecting funds domestically and abroad through donations particularly in the form of Zakat, Mowda and Bait-ul-Mal purportedly to further charity and other welfare activities but these funds are instead being used for violent and secessionist activities”.
The funds raised by JeI are also being “channelised to proscribed terrorist organisations such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and others through well-organised networks of JeI cadres”. JeI has also been “motivating the impressionable youth of Kashmir and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in Jammu and Kashmir to participate in disruptive secessionist activities”. (ANI)
