NIA conducts fresh raids in J-K, Gurgaon; Saudi currency seized

Continuing its probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir Valley, the NIA on Sunday conducted fresh raids across five locations in Jammu and Kashmir and seized incriminating documents and foreign currency.

"NIA took up fresh searches at five more locations belonging to secessionist and separatist elements and traders suspected of hawala activities and terror funding," the agency said.

Searches were carried out in four locations in Kashmir and one in Jammu, as well as in Gurgaon.

A report by ANI said houses of Tariq Ahmed Khan, ex-president of the LOC Traders Association, Farooq Baggu and Kamal Bittu of Jammu were searched. The house of Zahoor Watali at Gurgaon was also searched.

"During the searches, Pakistani currency (a few thousand) and currencies belonging to the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been found and seized



apart from other incriminating material. The concerned persons are being questioned," it added.

The agency on Saturday conducted 23 raids across Srinagar, Delhi and Haryana and seized over Rs 1 crore in cash, letterheads of banned terrorist groups like LeT and incriminating documents.

Denouncing the raids by NIA in Kashmir, the separatist camp in Srinagar warned of "dire consequences" and street protests against such "arbitrary measures" by the Union government.

"We warn Delhi of dire consequences if all these harassing measures are not stopped forthwith. If these unnecessary raids are not stopped, people will take to streets and resent these arbitrary measures with their full might and will," chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference - Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq - and JKLF chief Yasin Malik said in a joint statement on Saturday.