Srinagar: Hours after the major airstrikes operation conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out searches at seven locations in Srinagar in connection with Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.
The places where raids were conducted include premises of separatist leaders Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohd Ashraf Khan, Masarat Alam, Zaffar Akbar Bhat and Naseem Geelani.
During the raids, the NIA found property papers, financial transactions receipts, bank account details, letterheads of the different terrorist organisation, documents relating to recommendations for the visa for admission in Pakistan educational institutions.
"During the searches, NIA teams recovered incriminating documents including property papers, financial transactions receipts and bank account details. Electronic devices including laptops, e-tablets, mobile phones, pen drives, communication system and DVRs were also seized during the searches," the NIA spokesperson said.
As the NIA team, accompanied by local police and CRPF personnel, swooped on residences of the separatist leaders, they recovered a high-tech internet communication set up from Mirwaiz Farooq's residence. "A high-tech internet communication setup was also recovered from the residence of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq," he said.
"The searched premises included those belonging to top separatist leaders namely Yaseen Malik, Chairman JKLF, Shabir Shah, President JKDFP, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Chairman Awami Action Committee, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai Chairman Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Masarat Alam, General Secretary APHC, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Chairman JKSM and Naseem Geelani, son of Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani," the spokesperson added.
The NIA probe seeks to identify the chain of players behind the funding of terrorist activities, including those who pelted stones on security forces, burnt down schools and damaged government establishments.
The case names Hafeez Saeed, Pakistan-based chief of Jamaat-ud Dawah, the front for banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, as an accused, besides organisations such as the Hurriyat Conference (factions led by Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq), Hizbul Mujahideen and Dukhtaran-e-Millat.
In a major pre-dawn aerial operation, the IAF on Tuesday launched a and pounded the largest training camp of Pakistan based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), killing nearly 300 terrorists who were moved there for protection following the Pulwama attack.
The 'non-military' and 'preemptive' operation struck a five-star resort-style camp on a hilltop forest that provided Indian forces with a 'sitting duck target' and caught the terrorists in their sleep.
As many as 12 Mirage 2000 jets with 1000 kg of explosives pounded the terror training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at around 3.30 am. The strike came on the 12th day of the deadly Pulwama attack carried out by JeM that claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
