The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at the residences and other locations of 13 persons including two serving government officers, one retired official and 10 cross-LoC traders in the border district of Poonch of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a case relating to alleged fund transfer through cross-LoC trade.
As per NIA statement the searches were carried out in case RC-17/2016/NIA/DLI dated 9-12-2016 registered by the investigating agency under section 17 of UA(P) Act 1967 and the searches were conducted with assistance of J&K Police, CRPF and ITBP.
An official statement read that in the year 2008, cross-LoC trade was based on the barter system and third party origin goods were not allowed. It further read that the case is related to large scale transfer of funds from Pakistan to India through the import of California almonds (badam-giri) and other items via cross-LoC Trade Facilitation Centres (TFCs) located at Salamabad, Uri in district Baramulla of Kashmir and Chakkan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district of Jammu region.
It further read that investigations 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 with proscribed terrorist organizations.
NIA said that documents, digital devices and other incriminating materials have been recovered from the premises of the suspects during searches.
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