New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested three residents of Jammu and Kashmir who were involved in a money laundering case linked to terror funding involving Pakistani handlers. Out of these three persons two were identified as Mohammed Akabar Bhat and Fatima Shah who were residents of Srinagar and one as Sabzzar Ahmad Shaikh, who belonged to Anantnag.
They got arrested by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
All 3 accused were involved in a case a terror financing and were also linked with Pakistani handlers identified as Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat, who arranged admissions in MBBS and other courses in the colleges of Pakistan for students from Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the federal agency, a Special Judge ACB (CBI-Cases) Kashmir, Srinagar, has remanded the accused to ED custody until February 20.
Based on FIR filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for offenses under the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code, 1860 against Mohammad Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, Qazi Yasir, Syed Khalid Geelani, also known as Khalid Andrabi, and other individuals connected to terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the ED began an investigation into money laundering.
The agency further informed that,”ED investigation revealed that the arrested accused persons were hand in gloves with Pakistani Handlers in the guise of admissions in MBBS and other courses in the colleges of Pakistan for students from Jammu and Kashmir.”
“They had received money in their personal accounts and in the bank accounts of Al-Jabar Trust which was a charitable trust but it was being used for the purpose of receiving funds from students, which were further being ploughed into the terrorist activity in India in various ways such as given money to stone pelters, providing money to the persons/terrorist based in Jammu and Kashmir as per instructions of Pakistani handlers such as Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat,” it added.
Prior to this, under the terms of the PMLA, 2002, ED had temporarily attached properties in the form of immovable properties and bank accounts amounting about Rs 5 crore approximately.
(With inputs from agencies)
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