Terror funding from Pakistan: Aides of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, separatists raided by NIA

Srinagar/New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday carried out searches at the residences of some separatist leaders and prominent businessmen in Srinagar in connection with terror funding.

The NIA raided 14 places in Kashmir and eight places in the national capital in connection with terror funding received from Pakistan for carrying out subversive activities in the Valley.

The NIA, which had earlier registered a Preliminary Enquiry, converted it into a Regular Case (RC) last evening and began searches in the wee hours at the residences of second-rung separatist leaders in the Valley.

Houses of three separatist leaders, Nayeem Khan, Bitta Karate and Qazi Javaid Baba, who confessed to receiving funds from Pakistan to incite trouble in Kashmir in videos released by the India Today TV channel, were raided.

Around eight hawala dealers and traders in the national capital were also raided, official sources said.

Among those raided were close aides and kins of hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani and others in the Hurriyat Conference.

Two places in Sonepat were also being searched by the NIA teams in this connection.

The separatists were allegedly receiving funds from the chief of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hafiz Saeed, to carry out subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley, including pelting stones at security forces, damaging public property and burning schools and other government establishments.