The National Investigation Agency Sunday raided 56 locations allegedly linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in Jammu and Kashmir as a part of its probe into a terror funding case.
The searches, conducted along with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, began early in the day and were going on till the evening. They were carried out in Kashmir's Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam districts and Jammu's Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and Rajouri districts.
JeI was banned by the government on February 28, 2019 — shortly after the Pulwama attack. Sources said NIA registered the terror funding case on February 5 under the Unlawtul Activities Prevention Act.
An NIA statement said: “The members of the organisation have been collecting funds domestically and abroad through donations particularly in the form of Zakat, Mowda and Bait-ul-Mal purportedly to further charity and other welfare activities but these funds are instead being used for violent and secessionist activities.”
It said these funds were channelled to banned groups such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and others.
“JeI has also been motivating impressionable youth of Kashmir and recruiting new members (Rukuns) in J&K to participate in disruptive secessionist activities,” it said.
NIA said the raid locations include the premises of office bearers of JeI, its members, as well as offices of trusts purportedly run by the…
