Terror funding case: NIA raids Syed Salahuddin's residence in J&K

The NIA on Thursday raided the residence of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin at Soibugh in Budgam district of J&K.

Jammu: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) on Thursday raided the residence of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin at Soibugh in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to media reports, the raids began around 7 am. The NIA officials also reportedly seized some documents from the residence of the Hizbul chief and then departed from the scene.

NIA carried out the raids in connection with its ongoing probe into the alleged funding of the Kashmiri separatists from across the border. 

Importantly, today's raids come a day after Salahuddin's son Syed Shahid Yousuf, who was arrested in a 2011 terror funding case, admitted his link with a Pakistan-based militant organisation.

During his interrogation by the NIA, Yousuf admitted receiving hawala money from terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

"During the questioning, Yousuf admitted having received funds from cadres of Hizbul Mujahideen on the direction of his father Syed Salahuddin," an NIA official was quoted as saying by PTI. 

"This was done to foment terrorist activities in the valley. He revealed names of his associates abroad associated with the Hizbul and involved in raising, collecting and transferring funds from abroad to India. The same is being further verified & investigated," the official added.

Yousuf, who was arrested on Tuesday, was produced before district and sessions judge Poonam A Bamba, who granted the NIA his custody till November 1.

"Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case and submissions made in the application, to enable the NIA to unearth the criminal conspiracy and link of the accused with Hizbul Mujahideen, Syed Shahid Yousuf is remanded to police custody till November 1," the judge said.

The NIA in its plea seeking custodial interrogation of Yousuf, had said it needed to unravel the entire criminal conspiracy and establish his link with prescribed militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen.

The agency told the court that Shahid was collecting funds from Aijaz Bhat, a Srinagar resident now based in Saudi Arabia and a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, on the direction of his father Salahuddin, who is on the run.

Shahid over the years has been receiving and collecting funds through international wire money transfer from Bhat, an NIA statement said.

The NIA said Shahid was one of Bhat's several contacts who were in telephonic touch "to receive the money transfer codes". The money was meant to fund Hizbul Mujahideen`s militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir.