LoC Trade Case: NIA Raids 9 Locations in J&K’s Poonch in Connection with UAPA Case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday conducted searches at nine locations in Poonch district of Jammu & Kashmir at the premises of the suspected LoC traders in connection with a case registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

As per a NIA spokesman, the searches were conducted in case no. RC-17/2016/NIA/DLI, which was registered on December 9, 2016 by the agency under Section 17 of UA(P) Act, 1967.

The cross-LoC trade was started in the year 2008 as a part of confidence-building measure between India and Pakistan. The trade was based on the barter system and third party origin goods were not allowed.

The NIA spokesman said the instant case is related to the “large scale transfer of funds from Pakistan to India through the import of California Almonds (badam-giri) and other items via the Cross LoC Trade Facilitation Centres (TFCs) located at Salamabad, Uri, District Baramulla and Chakkan-Da-Bag, District Poonch”.

“These funds were purportedly being used for fomenting terrorism / separatism in Jammu & Kashmir, ” he said. As per the spokesman, ​investigation into the case revealed that “some of the traders having excess imports were channelizing the surplus profit generated to terror organizations while others are suspected to have links / connections with proscribed terrorist organizations”.

During the searches conducted today, documents, digital devices and other incriminating materials have been recovered from the premises of the suspects, the NIA said.