Massive crackdown on terror financing

Raids were carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday across 14 locations in Srinagar, 8 locations in Delhi and one in Sonepat. The raids focused on identifying those involved in terror funding and anti-national activities. Sources confirm that Hurriyat leaders have been raided and the NIA is probing middlemen who were part of funding racket in the garb of business groups. Furthermore, reports suggest that there are 14 teams, totaling about 600 men who are assisting the NIA. The NIA team has been in the Valley for the three days. There has been a massive 2-month long coordinated operation between the J&K police, the CRPF and the Central agency — the NIA.

The NIA team left for the raid operation at 5:25 am and Republic TV was the only one to track the story in real time. 

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NIA sources told Republic TV that bank accounts and property papers are being seized as a part of the raid. They said that that they have witnessed some unusual movement of funds, where the funds are disproportionate to the source of income.  The NIA appears to now be trying to verify claims made by them through documents recovered from all locations.

Sharad Kumar, Director-general of the National Investigation Agency, on speaking exclusively to Republic TV, said:

We have been working on this operation for the past two months. Raids are currently going on in 22 locations across Delhi, Haryana and Kashmir. Incriminating evidence and cash has been recovered. It is about terror funding.

Over 120 NIA officials have been working on the terror funding case for the past two months. NIA sources added that the locations for the raids were drawn up on the leads they got from the cross-border Uri case.  

While investigation the case, the NIA determined that commodities that were being brought in from PoK were undervalued and that a part of the money was being funneled for terror-related activities. 

NIA names Hafiz Saeed, LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen, Andrabi Group in the FIR, wherein terror funding is the main focus. The NIA has collected the copies of the FIRs of around 150 cases and has been analysing them. The FIRs are regarding damage caused to the schools and public property as part of the larger conspiracy to perpetuate violence and chaos in Kashmir. FIR filed under Sections 120(B), 121, 121(A) of IPC and Sections 13, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of UAPA.

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Who has been raided?

• Zahoor Wattali: Wattali has been under the scanner of various agencies for more than two decades. He was previously charged with funding separatist Abdul Ghani Lone who was later killed and his son Sajjad Lone who is now a minister in J&K Cabinet.
• Shahidul Islam: Shahidul Islam is an advocate and the media advisor to Hurriyat (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
• Sheikh Aashiq: Sheikh Aashiq is the President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
• Manzoor Wangnoo: Manzoor Ahmed Wangnoo, is the founder National Cottage Emporium (NEC). He is the only Kashmiri trader the US President Bill Clinton met before calling on the Prime Minister of India when he visited New Delhi in 2000
• Altaf Fantosh: Altaf Fantosh is the son-in-law of SAS Geelani and runs a cloth shop in Srinagar wherein he allegedly uses as a hawala cash transaction point.
• Ayaz Akbar:  Ayaz Akbar is the spokesperson of Hurriyat Conference(G)
• Nayeem Khan: Nayeem Khan of Geelani’s faction of the Hurriyat was also raided. Nayeem had returned to the valley on Friday after three days of interrogation by the NIA in Delhi over his alleged role in accepting money to foment unrest in Kashmir. Nayeem Khan claimed to have returned to the valley “with a clean slate” but the NIA raids proves otherwise.
• Raja Kalwal: The location of Hurriyat leader Raja Kalwal is also one of the locations in Kashmir that were raided.