NIA raids 3 districts in J&K, unmasks faces behind terror funding

NIA sleuths are carrying out searches at three locations in Kulgam, two in Pulwama, and one in Shopian of Kashmir.

| Updated: 14 March, 2023 3:33 pm IST
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In a bid to curb the terror funding links in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out searches at several locations in connection with terror conspiracy hatched by Pakistan-based proscribed terror organisations.

The anti-terror probe agency said that the sleuths of the NIA are carrying out searches at three locations in Kulgam, two in Pulwama, and one in Shopian. The official said that these raids were carried out on the basis of specific intelligence inputs.

Searches are being carried out at the premises of Junaid Ahmed Teli in Srinagar, who is a resident of Kulgam and also at the premises of Jishan Altaf and Arif Malik in Pulwama. The NIA also carried out searches at the premises of Altaf Ahmed Wagey and others, top sources in NIA said.

These coordinated raids in the three districts of Jammu and Kashmir were necessitated after the agency on Monday conducted searches in Srinagar, Kashmir in the ISIS Kerala Module case at the premises of Uzair Azhar Bhat. The NIA conducted a search at Bhat’s house in Srinagar and seized digital devices that are being examined by forensic experts.

It may be noted that the NIA  had started a probe in 2021 into the nefarious activities of one Mohammed Ameen aka Abu Yahya, a resident of Mallapuram in Kerala, who was found running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms, such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram.

“Through these channels, Ameen was propagating violent Jihadi ideologies of ISIS and was radicalizing and recruiting new members to this ISIS module. He and his associates had even identified certain individuals for targeted killings. They had also made plans to undertake Hijrah to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts and had raised funds from various sources for this trip,” the NIA said.

During the course of the investigation, it was found that Ameen was in touch with Deepthi Marla of Kerala, a converted Muslim, married to Anas Abdul Rahiman of Mangalore in Karnataka. “In 2015, she had gone to Dubai to pursue studies where she met Mizha Siddeeque and both women developed an inclination towards ISIS. In 2019, they tried to do Hijrah to Khorasan and reached Tehran, Iran. After reaching Tehran, their contact with ISIS operatives based in Khorasan could not be established,” the NIA said.

“They both returned to India, and Deepthi got in touch with Ameen, Obaid Hamid Matta, Madesh Shankar aka Abdullah and others and made plans to undertake Hijrah to ISIS-administered territory. In January 2020, she went to Srinagar in January 2020 to meet Obaid to plan the Hijrah and stayed in Srinagar for one week,” the NIA claimed.

Bhat is said to be one of the common contacts between Deepthi and Obaid, who is suspected to have been part of the conspiracy. Officials involved in the ongoing probe did not rule out more raids and arrests in the days to come as certain leads available with the agency point towards a bigger conspiracy.

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