Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, July 23 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today conducted raids at six places in Kashmir against the cross Line of Control (LoC) traders including its president Tanveer Ahmad Wani alias Bardana.
The NIA assisted by Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) today raided the house of the president of cross LoC Traders Association Tanveer Ahmad Wani at Achgoza in district Pulwama.
The NIA sleuths conducted searches of the house and recovered documents relating to the LoC trade. The raids continued for several hours. They also went to his shop in Fruit Mandi Parimpora but he had closed his business at Parimpora which he was running from a rented shop.
The NIA also raided the shop of another trader Javed Ahmad at Fruit Mandi, Parimpora. They also raided his house in Bemina area of Srinagar.
The NIA recovered incriminating documents including photographs and documents relating to cross LoC trade and electronic devices and other material was seized by them during the raids.
They also questioned Tanveer Ahmad and Javed Ahmad regarding their cross LoC trade activities and few of their partners.
The NIA in a statement sad that they carried out searches at six locations in connection with the ongoing investigation in the cross LoC trade case. “Searches were conducted at Pulwama and also in Srinagar. In Pulwama the searches were conducted in Achgoza at the premises of Tanveer Ahmad Wani, who is the President of cross LoC Traders Association. Searches were also conducted in Safakadal, Baimina and Parimpora fruit markets in Srinagar”, the statement said.
It added that during the searches, NIA teams recovered incriminating documents including photographs and documents relating to cross LoC trade. Besides, electronic devices and other material have also been seized.
The cross-LoC trade came under NIA scanner in 2017 as they suspected that the trade was being run by militants in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The trade was suspended early this year after several traders were questioned by the NIA.
The NIA suspected that trade was being used to fund anti-India activities in Kashmir. The agency seized several bank accounts and ledgers of these traders who are active in the cross-LoC trade that was started in October 2008 as a major Jammu and Kashmir specific confidence-building measure between India and Pakistan.
The NIA has found that since the cross-LoC trade began, some businessmen under- or over-invoiced their bills, and the difference in payment was later used for promoting subversive activities in the Valley.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
