Srinagar: Two days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Syed Shahid Yousuf in New Delhi, the agency on Thursday conducted raids at his residence in Soibugh village of central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

The NIA team raided Yusuf’s house at about 4:30 a.m. and left the place at about 7 a.m.

According to the reports, NIA seized 5 mobile phones, two hard discs, one laptop and ‘incriminating documents’ from house of Syed Salahuddin’s son Syed Shahid Yousuf.

Notably, a Delhi court yesterday sent Syed Shahid Yousuf to a seven-day NIA custody.

Yousuf was arrested Tuesday in New Delhi by the agency and is accused of receiving and collecting funds through international wire money transfer over the years.

According to the NIA, funds were received through a member of Hizbul Mujahideen Ajaz Ahmad Bhat alias Aijaz Maqbool Bhat who is currently residing in Saudi Arabia and is wanted in the said case.

“During his questioning, Shahid Yousuf admitted to have received the funds from the cadres of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen on the direction of his father Syed Salahudeen, for fomenting terror activities in the valley,” the NIA said.

The agency added that Shahid Yousuf had revealed the names of his associates abroad, who were involved in raising, collecting and transferring funds.

The same is being further verified and investigated, the agency said.

 “Syed Shahid Yousuf is the son of Syed Salahuddin self-styled commander-in-chief United Jihad Council (UJC) son of Ghulam Rasool Shah, resident of Soibugh, Police station Budgam District Budgam Jammu and Kashmir who is an absconder in another terror funding case RC-112011/NIA/DLI dated 25th October 2011,” NIA said.

Meanwhile, the family of UJC chief Syed Salahuddin on Thursday issued a statement regarding the arrest of Syed Shahid Yousuf in New Delhi.

The family said that the arrest is an attempt to pressurize the UJC chief into the submission by New Delhi.

 “We want to state that this is the age old tactic by the Delhi government to harass the family and to defame our father. This is an attempt to pressurize our father into submission by Delhi. We are peace loving people and want the issue to be settled through meaningful dialogue,” the family said in a statement issued to the media here.

The family further said that Shahid Yousuf is a peaceful citizen and charges against him are fake.

“We further want to state that we have never been involved in any terror funding activities in the state, and our record during past 28 years is crystal clear and can be verified by the police and CID. Our brother Shahid Yousuf is a peaceful citizen, and NIA has incriminated him in absolutely fake charges of terror funding to pressurize our father. Our right to live peacefully is being snatched by the State and the central government,” it added.

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