TERROR FUNDING: NIA RAIDS HIS ANCESTRAL HOME IN J&K

JAMMU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the ancestral home of Devinder Singh Behal on Monday, a close aide of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani at Nowshera in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Behal is the chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Social Peace Forum (JKSPF), a constituent of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC-G) Geelani faction. He is a member of the legal cell of the Hurriyat. On Monday, around 11.30 am, an NIA team comprising five sleuths raided his ancestral house in Nowshera town, 124 kilometers from Jammu.

The team seized incriminating documents and some other articles during the raid, which lasted a couple of hours, sources said.

On Sunday, NIA teams searched the office and residence of Behal for over four hours, following which, he was detained for further questioning of terror funding. As per sources, Behal has been kept in a safe house in Jammu.

Behal is settled in Jammu at present, where he migrated from his home town around two decades ago. He is married and has two daughters.

In 2013, he visited Pakistan, where he was arrested for trying to go to Mirpur without permission.

NIA is investigating his role as a courier, as he is suspected to be involved in routing funds to the separatist leaders from Pakistanbased handlers.