SIA conducts searches at five locations in south Kashmir in terror funding case

Srinagar, Dec 13 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Wednesday conducted searches at five locations in Anantnag and Kulgam districts of the union territory in connection with a terror funding case, an official spokesperson said.

The raids were related to Pahalgam resident Zaffar Hussain Bhat alias Khursheed Kashmiri. He is a close associate of terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen’s (HM) deputy chief Ghulam Nabi Khan alias Amir Khan and both are designated terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

They have also been declared proclaimed offenders and Red Corner Notices have been issued against them by the Interpol in several terror funding cases being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

“SIA Kashmir conducted searches at five locations in south Kashmir (three in Anantnag and two in Kulgam) in connection with an ongoing investigation into a terror funding case,” the spokesperson said.

During the searches, he said, some crucial digital and documentary evidence like mobile phones, pen drives, SIM cards, data cards, bank documents and passports were seized.

According to the spokesperson, Kashmiri is also wanted in a murder case for his role in arranging and delivering the weapon of offence and other consignments of arms and ammunition at different locations in Jammu and Kashmir through his network of associates.

He said HM, its handlers and terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have worked out a detailed plan of systematically and regularly financing their active and arrested terrorists, families of killed terrorists and their associates.

An amount of Rs 15,000 is given to every member to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

Kashmiri along with his associates spread across Kashmir is raising, collecting, receiving, transporting, distributing and delivering the money to active and arrested terrorists of HM and their families to further terrorist, unlawful, subversive and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India, the spokesperson said.

A close associate of Kashmiri, Majid Aziz Lawey, was arrested in the terror funding case in November with Rs 5 lakh.