ED arrests three J-K residents in terror financing case involving Pakistani handlers

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested three persons belonging to Jammu and Kashmir in a money laundering case linked to terror financing involving Pakistani handlers, the agency said on Wednesday.

The three persons namely Mohammad Akabar Bhat and Fatima Shah, both residents of Srinagar, and Sabzzar Ahmad Shaikh, a resident of Anantnag, were arrested on Tuesday under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with the money laundering case wherein accused persons involved in terror financing were hand in gloves with Pakistani handlers namely 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.

The accused have been remanded to ED custody till February 20 by a Special Judge ACB (CBI-Cases) Kashmir, Srinagar, said the federal agency.

ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of FIR registered by Jammu and Kashmir Police for offences under various sections of Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code, 1860 against Mohammad Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, Qazi Yasir, Syed Khalid Geelani alias Khalid Andrabi and others involved in terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir.

"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," said the agency.

"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 Pakistan handlers such as Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat."

Earlier, ED had provisionally attached properties worth Rs 5 crore approximately under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the form of various bank accounts and immovable properties.