NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
The Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday unearthed a hawala racket diverting funds to various militant groups in the state by arresting a top Hizbul Mujahideen militant and several others, and seized Rs 4 million in currency.
The police also identified some Delhi-based hawala operators after the racket was busted.
Agencies in Delhi have been alerted and provided necessary information about these hawala dealers, a police spokesman said.
The breakthrough came on Thursday night when a taxi was stopped for checking by a police party, which had put up a nakabandi on the Srinagar-Baramulla road near Parimpora, he said.
On seeing the police, the driver abandoned the vehicle and ran away.
The other occupant of the taxi, Rashid Lone alias Maulvi, also tried to escape, but was overpowered and captured by the police.
The taxi was being followed by a two-wheeler whose rider also fled on spotting the police.
During preliminary questioning, Lone admitted that he had been a hardcore militant of Hizbul Mujahideen for the last 11 years and operating in Baramulla area along with Nazir Ahmed Yattoo alias Shakar Gaznavi, divisional commander of the outfit.
"Rashid Lone is also involved in several incidents of militancy including killings," the spokesman said, adding that Lone is being prosecuted under the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance.
He said apart from cash, a satellite phone was also seized from Lone, a resident of Wagbug-Baramulla.
A thorough search of the taxi and the two-wheeler also led to the recovery of some documents.
The documents revealed that the money was to be delivered to Shakar Gaznavi, one of most wanted militants in Kashmir.
The spokesman said following the leads picked up from the disclosures of Lone, police launched a massive manhunt to locate Gaznavi.
During the raids at a number of premises at Srinagar and Baramullah, several persons suspected to be involved in financing and channelising finances of militant outfits have been picked up and are being questioned, he said.
Without giving the number of arrested persons, he said the money was suspected to be brought from Pakistan through hawala channels by these individuals to finance various militant outfits in the state, including Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashker-e-Tayiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Al-Badr and Al-Umar Mujahideen.
Tell us what you think of this report
Call India
