Srinagar / Rajouri: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Tuesday carried out raids at 18 locations across Jammu and Kashmir and arrested a person from the Rajouri district.
The raids and searches by NIA were conducted at multiple locations in J&K in the case related to suspect funding activities of Al Huda Educational Trust (AHET), Rajouri J&K (RC-07/2022/NIA/JMU).
“Today NIA conducted searches in 18 locations in Rajouri, Poonch, Jammu, Srinagar, Bandipora, Shopian, Pulwama, and Budgam districts and arrested Muhammad Ameer Shamshi of Rajouri in the case related to criminal activities of AHET, Rajouri, J&K,” NIA said.
The probe agency said: “After being declared an ‘unlawful association’ under UA(P)Act, Jamaat-e-Islami J&K has been continuing its activities through its frontal organisations. One such organisation is AHET of district Rajouri,” it said. “AHET has been found raising funds through various means, including donations and Hawala purportedly for charitable purposes but are instead using these funds to radicalise and incite the youth of J&K for unlawful activities and disrupt the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India. NIA had suo moto registered the case on September 3, 2022.”
The NIA said that the investigations had revealed that the arrested accused Muhammad Ameer Shamshi was the chairperson (Nizam-e-Aala) of AHET and acts on the directions of the chief patron of the trust. “Investigations have also revealed that the ex-officio chief patron of AHET is the Ameer-e-Jamaat, JeI, J&K,” it said.
The NIA said that the trust had continued to raise funds even after the declaration of JEI, J&K as an ‘unlawful association’.
It said that suspect links with other NGOs and trusts operating in Kashmir had also emerged during investigations.
The NIA said that during the searches conducted, several mobile devices and documents related to funding and properties had been seized.
It said that further investigations in the case were in progress.
The NIA also conducted raids in the Poonch, Jammu, Srinagar, Bandipora, Shopian, Budgam, and Pulwama districts with a total of 18 locations.
Official sources said that between 3 am and 5 am on Tuesday, teams of NIA accompanied by an escort of Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF simultaneously raided five locations in the Rajouri district and two in Poonch.
In Rajouri, these raids were conducted at five different locations which include the headquarters of AHET at Bela Colony in the town.
Other raided locations include a house in Malik Market locality where a doctor from Shopian lives on rent and is posted at Primary Health Center (PHC) Dalhori, the house of Ameer Mohammad Shamsi (chairperson AHET) in Chowdhary Nar village in Ujhan village of Darhal in the house of a relative of Ameer Muhammad Shamsi while the house of an Assistant Executive Engineer of Power Development Department (PDD) in Galhan area of Teryath tehsil of Rajouri district was also raided.
Official sources said that other raids were completed in the morning hours but the raid at the headquarters of AHET Rajouri lasted till the afternoon hours.
Official sources said that in Poonch district, the NIA team accompanied by J&K Police personnel and CRPF raided a house that is rented accommodation of the Assistant Executive Engineer of PDD who is a resident of the Galhan Teryath area of Rajouri.
Besides, a house in the Marhote village of Surankote in Poonch was also raided by teams of NIA where searches were conducted.