Widening its net on terror funding, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted multiple raids across Kashmir.
The case pertains to the terror funding and criminal conspiracy hatched by the terror groups operating under various pseudo names, at the behest of their Pakistani commanders or handlers, a spokesperson of the NIA said.
The NIA sleuths accompanied by J&K police and paramilitary forces conducted searches at 13 locations in Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama (south Kashmir), Srinagar and Budgam (central Kashmir) and seized incriminating material/documents.
“NIA launched extensive searches at 13 locations of sympathisers/cadres, hybrid terrorists and overground Workers (OGWs) linked with the newly-formed offshoots and affiliates of several proscribed Pak-backed terror organisations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda,” he said.
The raids were part of the ongoing investigations of NIA in the terror conspiracy case, involving the activities of OGWs and cadres in support of various newly-launched outfits, such as The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF, among others, the spokesperson said.
Besides terrorist and violent activities, these cadres and workers had been found involved in the collection and distribution of sticky bombs/magnetic bombs, IEDs, funds, narcotics and arms/ammunition, the NIA investigations revealed.
It further revealed that Pak-based operatives were involved in the delivery of arms/ammunition, explosives, narcotics, etc., to these cadres and workers in the Kashmir valley via drones. Social media platforms were also being widely used by operatives across the border to connect with OGWs and cadres in Kashmir.
Earlier on May 9, the premier anti-terror probe agency had conducted raids at 11 locations across Kashmir at the premises of JeI members and supporters in the same case.
Meanwhile, on Monday filed a supplementary charge sheet against one accused in the case involving the activities of The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the LeT. The NIA charged Faisal Muneer alias Ali Bhai, a resident of Talab Khatikan in Jammu for allegedly conspiring with Pakistan-based operatives of LeT/TRF for the transportation of firearms and explosives for carrying out terrorist acts in India.
“He had entered into a conspiracy with his handlers based across the border to deliver the consignments of weapons and explosives to active terrorist commanders and operatives of these outfits for the commission of terror acts in India, as per NIA investigations.
As part of the conspiracy hatched with other co-accused and handlers/operatives of LeT/TRF, Faisal had actively worked for the militant outfits and had received funds from them with the intent to further its terror activities.
“Faisal is the fourth person to be charge-sheeted in the case (RC-32/2021/NIA/DLI), registered suo moto by NIA on November 18, 2021. The NIA had earlier filed a chargesheet against Arsalan Feroz alias Arsalan Soub, Muzamil Mushtaq Bhat alias Hamza and Mudasir Ahmed Dar respectively on June 18, November 9 and December 17, 2022,” a statement of the NIA said.
“During investigations, it emerged that Faisal Muneer was working as an active OGW of LeT/TRF, and was involved in receiving, collecting, and supplying weapons/explosives/funds. These materials were sent/dropped from Pakistan via drones in the areas situated near the International Border area of Samba/Kathua, for carrying out terrorist activities in India," it said.
After receiving the consignments from his associates, accused Faisal Muneer used to store them at his residence for onward delivery to terrorist operatives and their OGWs, on the directions of the LeT/TRF operatives based across the border, it added.