Alleged illegal funding: NIA conducts raids in Kashmir

Srinagar/June,3: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday raided different locations in Kashmir, Valley in connection with a case of alleged funding received by pro-freedom groups for fueling unrest in the Valley.
After registering an FIR earlier this week, various NIA teams, which had been camping in the Valley for few days, moved under heavy escort from their camp office located at Humhama, on the outskirts of the Srinagar city.
Reports said that a special NIA team that is in Kashmir raided different locations across Valley particularly in Srinagar city. A police official on condition of anonymity said the residential houses of some separatist leaders and businessmen were raided and documents were seized for scrutinization.
Some of the people whose houses and shops were raided include Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Raja Zahoor Rehman, Altaf Fantoosh, Zahoor Ahmed Watali and Muhammad Sultan.
If sources are to be believed, the agency seized nearly Rs 1.5 crore from various locations in the Kashmir Valley, besides documents which were being scrutinized.
This is for the first time since militancy erupted in 1990s that a central probe agency has carried out raids in connection with funding to the separatists.
Meanwhile, Joint separatist leadership including Syed Ali Geelani, Molvi Muhammad Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik while condemning the NIA raids said that such tactics can’t break the resolve of the people who aspire for freedom from India.