The National Investigation Agency on Thursday conducted searches at five locations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian and Budgam districts. The raids were in connection to a case of an Al-Qaeda operative allegedly making recruitment in Lucknow, the agency said in a release.
Homes of political activists and government employees were searched during the raids by National Investigation Agency officials and paramilitary troops, according to the Kashmir Walla.
In its release, the National Investigation Agency said that on July 11, the Uttar Pradesh Police had registered a case in Lucknow against Al-Qaeda operative Umar Halmandi and others for allegedly recruiting people to carry out terrorist activities.
The National Investigation Agency had taken over the case on July 29. The seraches conducted on Thursday were in relation to this case, the investigating agency said, adding that a large number of incriminating documents and digital devices had been seized during the raids.
The searches were conducted days after human rights activist Khurram Parvez was arrested on November 22.
He was charged under Sections 38 (offence relating to membership of a terrorist organisation) and 40 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Aact, which covers terror funding, according to the arrest memo viewed by Scroll.in.
Earlier on Thursday, a report from Kashmir Dot Com had cited an unidentified official about a search being carried out at the home of human rights activist and advocate Parvez Imroz at Kanthbagh Kralpora in the outskirts of Srinagar.
However, Imroz’s family told Scroll.in that no raids had been conducted at their home.
Corrections and clarifications: This copy has been edited to say that there were no raids at activist Parvez Imroz’s home. The correction was made after a clarification.
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