National Investigation Agency (NIA) which had launched a probe last year into alleged funding from Pakistan to Kashmiri separatists and stone pelters is “as good as closed”, a media report said today. 

The probe was ordered last year following the uprising triggered by July 8 killing of young militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with government forces.  

“It was suspected that these funds were coming from across the border and were being channelised to stone-pelters through suspect bank accounts linked to militants or separatists in the Valley,” reported Indian Express.  

“A year down the line, the agency has found that all transactions through these bank accounts were legitimate and not connected in any way to terror funding,” said the report.  

It said that no evidence of “funding or financial aid to stone-pelters has been found in that case”.   

“All bank accounts that were brought under the scanner have been found to have had legitimate business transactions. That case is as good as closed,” said a senior NIA officer, according to the report. 

The NIA probed transactions amounting to approximately Rs 38 crore from 17 accounts in four banks of south Kashmir for links to militants or separatist groups during last year.    “Over the year, NIA investigators tallied dates of withdrawal of money from these accounts with incidents of stone-pelting or road blockades in the Valley and conducted inquiries with holders of the suspect accounts, their relatives and bank officials to probe the source of funds. Nothing suspicious, sources said, has been found till date.”  

The probe was based on an input provided by the Army that some bank accounts had suspicious transactions and withdrawals that coincided with incidents of stone-pelting in the Valley.

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