Srinagar,: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths on Tuesday raided the house of a cross-Line of Control (LoC) trader in south Kashmir district of Pulwama, official sources said.
Assisted by security forces and state police personnel, sleuths of NIA conducted raid at the residence of businessman Ghulam Ahmad Wani alias Bardana at Kailler Pulwama in connection with terror funding.
Bardana’s son Tanveer Ahmad is a former militant, they said, adding that the NIA had earlier raided his shops at fruit mandi Parimpora in Srinagar, they said.
At 0800 hrs, security forces and state police personnel sealed all roads leading to Bardan’s house this morning.
Later, the NIA sleuths conducted searches in the house, they said, adding that the operation was still going on when the reports last came in.
Details are awaited, they said, adding Bardana was one of the cross-LoC trader. However, the trade between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) was suspended from March 8 after reports that it (trade) was being used for terror funding. Trade was suspended after Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) fidayeen attack in February this year left 44 CRPF personnel dead and scores injured at Awantipora on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. The Karvan-e-Aman bus operating between Srinagar and PoK also remained suspended since March 8.
The NIA and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have so far arrested over two dozen separatist leaders and businessmen in the Kashmir valley in connection with terror funding. The investigative agency has also questioned a number of media persons in the valley.
UNI.
