Militant funding case: SIA raids 22 locations in Kashmir, New Delhi

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Wednesday conducted raids at 22 locations in Kashmir and New Delhi as part of the probe in the alleged militant funding case.
The pre-dawn searches were carried out simultaneously by special teams of SIA at 18 places in Srinagar, one each in Anantnag and Pulwama, besides two in Delhi, officials of the anti militancy Agency said.
“During the search operation, incriminating material in the shape of bank documents, cash books, credit cards, debit cards, cheque books, invoices, mobile phones, sim cards, passports etc. were seized which will be analyzed for further investigation,” they said.
The case pertains to illegal raising, layering and laundering of illegal proceeds of crime by the accused persons which subsequently might have been used in unlawful activities including secessionism and militancy.
The case was registered in SIA Kashmir police station on the basis of an enquiry.
“During enquiry, it has been found that funds to the tune of INR 85 crore have been raised and laundered in a short span of less than two years. The transactions have mostly taken place in cash to evade detection of law enforcement agencies.
Based on the findings of the enquiry, a case with FIR No 08 of 2023 was registered under relevant sections of law,” a statement by SIA said.
Today’s raids were conducted on the strength search warrant issued by the Special Designated NIA Court to collect evidence relevant to the ongoing investigation in the case.
The Agency reiterated its commitment to dismantle the militant ecosystem in J&K by chocking militant financing channels be it hawala, human cash couriers or banking channels.