Rs 30 crore pumped in to fuel violence in Kashmir Valley

New Delhi: With Intelligence agencies having launched a full scale investigation into the source of funding for the ongoing agitation in the Kashmir Valley, a team comprising officials from the Intelligence Bureau and National Investigation Agency has reached Srinagar in connection with the case.

Sources said the ten-member team comprising officials from the premiere Intelligence and investigating agencies which is now camping in the Valley  suspects that at least Rs 30 crore has been pumped in to fuel the violence against  security forces in the State.

Following directive from the home minister, the NIA launched a preliminary enquiry to investigate suspected transactions through which money had been routed to the Valley for funding the agitation. As was first reported by this newspaper, Intelligence agencies in a report to the home ministry had raised suspicion that money through the hawala network was being sent to the Valley possibly by subversive elements to further spread the violence.

The NIA, along with the IB, is already probing the involvement of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba in the Kashmir violence and will now further expand its ambit to look into the funding aspect also. Initial investigations, sources added, have revealed that at least Rs 30 crore came into the Valley, mostly from the Middle-East, over the last month-and-a-half.

It is suspected that the money was used for further fuelling the turbulence in the Valley. “While most of the money came through the hawala, it seems some funds came through banking channels also. We have identified some accounts which have seen large transactions from overseas over the last few days. The team has been sent to Srinagar to investigate this and may also question some bank officials in connection with the investigations,’’ an Intelligence official said.

Intelligence agencies have also been directed by the home ministry to ensure that the funding channel for the agitators is completely blocked which in turn would drastically reduce the level of violence also. So far 65 people have died in agitation which has been continuing for almost 45 days now ever since Hizbul Mujhideen commander Burhan Wani was shot dead. “The investigating team will camp in Srinagar for a few days at least since they are not only looking into the flow of funds for the agitation but will also have to ensure that this channel is choked completely. We suspect that some sympathisers of subversive groups in the Middle-East are pumping in money,’’ the official added.