Doda, Nov 21 – The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted raids at eight locations across Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a case involving militant infiltration and narco-terrorism, officials said.
The searches were carried out in the districts of Reasi and Udhampur of Jammu and Doda, Ramban, and Kishtwar of Chenab Valley, as part of an ongoing investigation aimed at dismantling a network linked to banned Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.
The raids follow the arrest on Wednesday of Muneer Ahmad Banday, an accused in a 2020 narco-terrorism case, who had been evading authorities for four years. The NIA alleges Banday played a key role in a conspiracy to procure and sell narcotics to fund terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India.
The case, tied to groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), first surfaced in June 2020 when police in Handwara seized 2 kilograms of heroin and 2 million rupees ($24,000) in cash during a vehicle inspection at Kairo Bridge in Kupwara district.
“The funds were intended to promote terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir through a network of over-ground workers (OGWs),” the NIA said in a statement.
The raids are part of broader efforts to dismantle terror funding mechanisms in the region. The NIA is focused on eliminating the links between narcotics trafficking and the financing of militancy, which has long been a concern in the region.
(Inputs from ANI report)
The Chenab Times News Desk