National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, on Sunday, continued to raid the residences of pro-freedom leaders and businessman for allegedly getting funds from Pakistan for creating unrest in the Valley last year.

The NIA started with the raids on the houses of pro-freedom leaders and businessman on Saturday following the sting operation carried out by a national TV channel. Sources have claimed that at least five locations were raided, on Sunday, by the investigation team.

Sources said, “In the wee hours of Sunday morning, NIA raided the house of Hurriyat Conference (G) chief spokesperson, Ayaz Akbar, in Maloora area.” They added that the residence of a businessman from Bemina Srinagar was also raided.

Meanwhile, the NIA officials said, “In continuation of searches that were held on Saturday at multiple locations in Kashmir, Delhi and Haryana, the NIA took up fresh searches today at five more locations belonging to separatist elements and traders, who have been suspected of hawala activities and terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir. Searches were conducted at four places in Kashmir and one place in Jammu.”

“In the course of raids, Pakistani currency (a few thousand) and currency belonging to UAE and Saudi Arabia was recovered apart from other incriminating material. The concerned persons are being questioned about the same,” the NIA spokesperson said.

NIA, on Saturday, seized Rs 1.15 crore besides property related documents, letterheads of banned militant organizations such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujhaideen (HM), pen-drives, laptops, and other incriminating documents from 22 locations in Kashmir, Delhi and Haryana.

The NIA carried out searches at 14 places, including the residences of separatist leaders and businessmen.

After conducting raids on Saturday, the officials said, “Fresh locations were revealed on grilling the inmates.”

Notably, the three separatists, including chairman Jammu and Kashmir National Front (JKNF), Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karrate and Javed Ahmed Baba alias ‘Gazi’ of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat-led by Syed Ali Geelani, were questioned by NIA sleuths in New Delhi for three days for their role in 2016 unrest and alleged funding from Pakistan for creating unrest in Kashmir.

The NIA had questioned Khan at his Jawahar Nagar office. Khan and two others are part of an enquiry that was initiated by NIA after taking cognizance of a news channel reports about alleged funding for 2016 unrest by Pakistan. Khan was suspended from the Hurriyat Conference (G) after the TV channel conducted sting operation.

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