Early Times Report
Srinagar, July 10: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday attached hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi's house on the outskirts of Srinagar city under the stringent UAPA anti-terror law, officials said here. The attachment order, the first by NIA against any separatist from Kashmir Valley, was pasted outside the residence of Andrabi, the chief of the banned Dukhtaran-E-Millat group, at 90 Feet Road in Soura area.
NIA got approval from the DGP (J&K) Dilbgah Singh for seizing the house of the incarcerated Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief. The house, in Soura area of Srinagar, was attached under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
In a letter, the chief investigating officer- NIA SP Vikas Katheria- said there is "reason to believe that property specified in the schedule noted here under represents proceeds of terrorism and has been used for the furtherance of terrorist activities of a proscribed terrorist organisation DeM."
The letter says that DGP (J&K) had given approval for the attachment of the property.
"Therefore, in the exercise of the powers granted under Section 25 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, I hereby order the attachment of the property specified in the Schedule hereunder as proceeds of terrorism," reads the letter. Andrabi, along with two of her associates, was arrested in July 2018 on charges of working for secession of J&K from the India.
Andrabi, NIA said, admitted that she had been collecting funds and donations from foreign sources.
"Andrabi was confronted with evidence regarding the funding of educational expenses of her son in Malaysia from 2011 onwards through foreign remittances made by Zahoor Watali (a hawala handler in NIA custody)," NIA said. The central agency said it had approached the concerned authorities for providing evidence relating to bank accounts used by Andrabi's son, Mohammad bin Qasim, while he was studying in the Malaysian university.
The NIA had registered a terror funding case in May 2017, against militants belonging to Jammat-ud- Dawa (JuD), Duktaran-e-Millat (DeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (Hizb) and other separatist leaders in J&K for raising, receiving and collecting funds for funding separatist and militant activities.
It also accused them of a larger conspiracy for causing disruption in Kashmir and for waging war against India.
During the investigation conducted so far, NIA claimed it has charge sheeted 13 accused including the JuD leader Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, Chief of Hizb, Syed Salahuddin, seven separatist leaders, two hawala conduits and some stone pelters.
The NIA arrested seven Kashmiri separatist leaders, their relatives, and a businessman in July 2017 for allegedly funding militancy and unrest in Kashmir. They have since been lodged in Tihar jail in Delhi. |
