JAMMU, AUGUST 20: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) on Saturday morning started searches at various places in a case relating to funding of terror activities through hawala money in Jammu and Kashmir.
These followed the apprehension of a terror operative Abdul Hamid Mir of Mendhar along with Rs 10 lakh from Jammu Bus Stand on Friday evening.
Mir had reportedly got money from one Mohammad Yaseen, a garment trader, who too has been arrested. Yaseen was allegedly involved in providing funds to Lashkar-e-Toiba and Al Badr militant outfits and he was working as an agent in Hawala transactions.
On August 17, Yaseen gave around Rs 10 lakh to a terror operative Abdul Hamid Mir of Mendhar for use in terrorist activities in the Union Territory. In this regard, the J&K Police registered a case vide FIR No. 37/2022, on August 18 under sections 13/17/18/40 of UA(P) Act at Bus Stand Police Station.
Yaseen, according to police officials, was an under cover agent of militants who had been working as a garment trader in Delhi’s Meena Bazar. He worked as a conduit for Hawala money, collecting funds received from sources based abroad and further delivering them to terror operatives in Kashmir Valley.
During interrogation, Mohd Yaseen disclosed that the hawala money was being sent to India at Surat and Mumbai through South Africa. “The amount was further given to operatives of banned terror outfit LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiyba) and Al Badr in Jammu and Kashmir.
Describing him as an important link for transporting funds from different parts of India to J&K, officials said that he had recently received Rs. 24 lakh sent through Hawala from South Africa and of this, he had transferred Rs 17 lakh through two different couriers to terror operatives in J&K.
While Rs 10 lakh were given by him to the arrested accused Abdul Hamid Mir which have been seized by J&K Police, the remaining Rs. 7 lakh has been recovered from his house during search.
The arrests were based on information received from central agencies and Jammu and Kashmir Police regarding a person engaged in funding of terrorist activities and operating from Meena Bazar, Delhi.
Accordingly, a raiding team was constituted and deployed at and around Meena Bazar, Delhi and apprehended the owner of the establishment on August 18. The officials recovered one mobile phone also from the accused.