Terror funding case: NIA conducts raids in Jammu, Doda against Jamaat-e-Islami members

Terror funding case: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday (August 8) carried out searches at multiple places in Jammu and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir against members of banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in a terror funding case, officials said.

Simultaneous raids are underway at nearly a dozen places at the premises of JeI office-bearers and members in different parts of the two districts since early this morning, the officials said.

Official sources said the raids are being carried out at Dhara-Gundana, Munshi Mohalla, Akramband, Nagri Nai Basti, Kharoti Bhagwah, Thalela and Malothi Bhalla in Doda district and Bhatindi in Jammu.

The searches are being carried out in a case related to terror funding, they said.

The case, registered by NIA suo-moto on February 5 last year, pertains to the activities of the JeI members, who 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 are using the money for "violent and secessionist" activities.

According to NIA, the funds being raised by JeI are also channelised to proscribed terrorist organisations such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and others through well organised networks of JeI cadres.

"JeI has also been motivating impressionable youth of Kashmir and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in the Union territory to participate in disruptive secessionist activities," the NIA had said.

In February 2019, the Centre had banned JeI for five years under anti-terror laws on grounds that it was "in close touch" with militant outfits and was expected to "escalate secessionist movement" in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

A notification banning the group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs after a high-level meeting on security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hundreds of JeI activists were arrested in a major crackdown across Jammu and Kashmir following the ban, which came just months ahead of the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state and its bifurcation into two Union territories in August 2019.

Meanwhile, the NIA on Saturday (August 6) had arrested a radicalised and active member of Islamic State (ISIS) from his residence in Delhi for his involvement in the collection of funds for the terrorist outfit from sympathisers in India as well as abroad and sending it to Syria and other places in form of cryptocurrency, the agency said on Sunday (August 7).

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The accused was identified as Mohsin Ahmad, a resident of Batla House in New Delhi. According to the central agency, Accused Mohsin Ahmad is a radicalised and active member of ISIS. He has been arrested for his involvement in a collection of funds for ISIS from sympathisers in India as well as abroad, the official data read.

The anti-terror agency further said that he was sending these funds to Syria and other places in form of cryptocurrency in order to further the activities of ISIS.

Further investigations in the case are in progress.Ahmed is set to be produced in a special NIA court today after he was produced in a local court before the duty magistrate where he was sent for one-day remand.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had last month conducted searches at nine locations in Jammu and Kashmir in the Chanapora arms recovery case.

Of the nine places searched by the NIA, four were in Srinagar district and five in Pulwama district. The searches were conducted at the premises of the accused and suspects in the case have led to the recovery and seizure of digital devices and other incriminating materials, the NIA said.

The case was linked to a case related to the conspiracy of carrying out terror activities in and around Srinagar, in which four accused persons were arrested and 15 pistols, 30 magazines, 300 rounds and an SUV were seized. The case was registered initially at Chanapora Police Station in Srinagar and was re-registered by the NIA on June 18.

(With agencies inputs) 

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