SRINAGAR:  The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out raids at several places on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir following registration of an FIR against prominent members of the banned J&K Jamaat-e-Islami.

NIA sources said 40 locations of prominent Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) members and offices of the organisation were simultaneously raided.

“A fresh FIR has been lodged against the JEI and today’s raids are part of the investigation pertaining to this FIR”, sources said.

Reports here said the Falah-e-Aam trust, owned by the JEI situated in Nowgam outskirts area of Srinagar has also been raided.

Sources said the focus of these raids is to probe the funding sources of the banned organisation.

An NIA official related to the probe said that the agency sleuths along with the CRPF are carrying out searches at multiple locations in several districts.

The official, however, remained tight-lipped on sharing the details of the case.

An agency source said that the anti-terror probe agency is carrying out the searches at the premises linked to senior members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami.

The source said that the searches are underway in at least 40 locations.

The source said that searches are being carried out in Doda, Budgam, Kishtwar, Ramban, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Shopian, Rajouri and other districts of the union territory.

The source said that searches are being held at the premises of Gul Mohd War, a resident of Manigam Ganderbal, who is the district head of JEI; Abdul Hamid Bhat, a resident of Gamchipora Batweena; Zahoor Ahmad Reshi, JEI member and former teacher now running a shop at Safapora; and the premises of Mehrajdin Reshi in Safapora.

In recent days, the NIA has carried out searches at different locations in two separate cases and also arrested a few people. -IANS