SIA conducts searches at 5 locations in south Kashmir

Srinagar, Dec 13: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir conducted searches at five locations in South Kashmir (three in Anantnag and two in Kulgam) in connection with an ongoing investigation of a terror funding case.
The searches were conducted in a case under FIR number 311/2023 of PS Anantnag registered on 19 November 2023 under sections 13,17,18,20,38 and 40 of the UA(P)A 120B, 121A, 121 of the IPC and transferred to the SIA Kashmir on 23-12-2023.
“It is pertinent to mention here that Zaffar Hussain Bhat @Khursheed @ Khursheed Kashmiri son of Sunnallah resident of Liver, Pahalgam, Sirgufwara, Ananatnag, is a close associate of Ghulam Nabi Khan @ Amir Khan, Dy Chief of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and both are notorious designated individual terrorists under the UAPA, declared Proclaimed Offenders and having Red Notices of Interpol issued against them in several terror funding cases of the NIA including the famous Jammu Kashmir Affectees Relief Trust (JKART) case,” the officials said.
Khursheed Kashmiri is also wanted in Sanjay Sharma murder case of the SIA for his role in arranging and delivering the weapon of offence and also other arms and ammunition consignments at different locations in Jammu and Kashmir through his network of associates, the spokesman said.
“Hizb Ul Mujahideen with active connivance of Mohd Yusuf Shah@ Syed Salahudeen, Chief of HM and the United Jihad Council and handlers of ‘Hizbul-Mujahideen’ (HM) and ‘Lashkar-E-Taiba’ (LeT), proscribed terrorist organisations in India, have worked out a detailed terror-funding plan of systematically and regularly financing of their active, arrested terrorists, families of killed terrorists and their associates, belonging to these proscribed terrorist organizations @ INR 15000 per member so as to sustain terrorism in the J&K,” he said.
“Zaffar Hussain Bhat @Khursheed kashmiri with his associates spread across the Kashmir are raising, collecting, receiving, transporting, distributing and delivering the terror money to active and arrested terrorists of HM and their kiths and kin to further terrorist, unlawful, subversive and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and other places of India and also to disturb the communal harmony, spread disaffection towards India and challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country by waging war against India,” he added.
The statement issued reads that Zaffar Hussain Bhat uses VoIP based encrypted messaging applications to communicate with his associates to plan, control and execute their movements and also to share the lists of the beneficiaries of these terror funds.
“During today’s searches some crucial digital and documentary evidence like Cell Phones, Pen drives, SIM cards, data cards, bank documents, passports etc relevant to the ongoing investigation were recovered and seized,” the spokesman said, adding that on 19 November 2023, a close associate of Khursheed Kashmiri namely Majid Aziz Lawey, son of Abdul Aziz Laway of Liddermatto has already arrested with terror fund to the tune of Rs 5 lakhs in this case.