Funding case: NIA raids 12 locations in Srinagar, north Kashmir

Srinagar: India’s National Investigation Agency Wednesday conducted fresh raid over a dozen location in Central and North Kashmir. The raids were conducted with regard to alleged funding case as separatists are being accused of getting funds from different quarters to fuel trouble in Valley, a charge vehemently refuted by Joint Resistance Leadership comprising of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik.
Sources said that the raids were conducted at Srinagar, Baramulla and Handwara on Wednesday.
Sources disclosed that NIA team raided the house of senior separatist leader Advocate Muhammad Shafi Reshi who is a close aide of Syed Ali Geelani. The house is located at Barzulla Srinagar. Reshi was not available for comments, however, an activist of his part while confirming the raid said that 6 hours long raid was conducted at 7 in the morning.
Sources added that the houses of relatives of prominent businessman Zahoor Ahmed Watali were also raided.
Watali’s residence in Gurugram, Delhi and Srinagar were raided on 4 June as part of the ongoing investigation. The NIA also searched Watali’s driver Mohammed Akbar’s house.
The NIA had arrested seven persons -Altaf Ahmed Shah, Nayeem Khan, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam and Ayaz Akbar Khandey and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate on 24 July last month.
They were arrested on the charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.
Reports said that a team of NIA also raided the house of a private employee Ghulam Muhammad Bhat at Tarhama Tangmarg area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Bhat according to sources is the employee of a plywood factory owner Pirzada Ghulam Nabi. The house of Pirzada Ghulam Nabi was also raided.