india

Updated: Feb 26, 2019 11:09 IST

The NIA on Tuesday carried out searches on separatists in the Kashmir valley, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a terror funding case, officials said.

Local police and CRPF personnel cordoned off the areas before NIA sleuths started the searches at several places in Srinagar.

Among those whose houses were searched are Nayeem Geelani, son of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, JKLF leader Yaseen Malik, Shabir Shah, Ashraf Sehrai and Zaffar Bhat.

Malik has been in detention since Friday while Shabir Shah is in Delhi’s Tihar jail since July 2017.

Also read: Security withdrawn over Pulwama attacks, separatist leaders say ‘don’t need it’

Tuesday’s raids came less than a week after the government withdrew the security cover of separatist leaders in Kashmir following the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus.

Over the weekend, the Centre also airlifted 100 companies of paramilitary forces for deployment in Kashmir amid a crackdown on separatists and militants.

Also read: Centre moves 100 companies of paramilitary forces to Srinagar amid massive crackdown