SIA Raids 8 Places In J&K In Connection With Terror-Funding Case

Srinagar
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police carried out raids at eight places on Saturday in a case related to collection of funds by Maulvi Sarjan Barkati, the face of anti-national protests in 2016, and using the same for personal gains, officials said. The SIA, a subsidiary of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, registered a case against Barkati earlier this year to probe the collection of funds as well as his anti-national speeches.
According to the officials, it is alleged that more than Rs 1.5 crore were generated through crowdfunding and from suspected terror sources, and utilised for personal benefits, profiteering and in furtherance of secessionist-terrorist campaigns. A large chunk of such ill-gotten money has allegedly been deposited in several FDRs in the name of Barkati’s family members.Not only has the accused breached the public trust through emotional blackmailing by building a personal fortune with the funds donated to him by people for daily sustenance, he also camouflaged money coming from suspicious sources under the garb of crowdfunding for the furtherance of the secessionist-terrorist campaigns, the officials said.