The National Investigation Agency logo.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out coordinated raids at multiple locations across the Kashmir Valley as part of an ongoing investigation into terror-related activities and funding networks, officials said.
The NIA teams, supported by Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary forces, conducted early-morning searches in Srinagar, Sopore and Bandipora districts. “These operations are part of a wider crackdown on terror financing and support networks operating in the Valley,” an official said.
While details of recoveries from Monday’s raids are awaited, officials said the searches were aimed at gathering further evidence in cases linked to the financing of terror and proscribed groups.
The NIA’s focus on terror funding in Kashmir is not new. Over the past decade, the agency has repeatedly targeted alleged financial conduits, overground workers and organisations accused of channelling funds to banned outfits.
In 2017, Srinagar businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali was arrested in a terror-funding case; the NIA later attached multiple properties linked to him, accusing him of acting as a conduit for foreign funds to separatist networks.
The agency has also repeatedly targeted the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in Kashmir. In 2021 and 2024, the NIA conducted raids at dozens of locations tied to JeI and its associated trusts amid probes into alleged terror financing and secessionist activities; officials seized digital devices and financial records during those operations.
Beyond individual cases, the NIA’s broader efforts have expanded to include hybrid and Pakistan-linked terror networks. In 2025, the agency carried out coordinated searches at more than 30 locations across the region targeting suspected overground workers and facilitators linked to proscribed groups and militancy infrastructure.
Security analysts say sustained pressure on financial pipelines has disrupted established funding routes, making it harder for terror groups to sustain operations. However, support networks have periodically adapted, prompting continued investigations and raids by central forces.
There was no immediate report of arrests on Monday. Officials said further action would be taken after forensic analysis of seized material.