NIA busts LeT-linked terror funding racket, arrests three

“Salman, the key accused, was the one receiving the money. The other two are couriers. Salman is basically from Uttawar, in Mewat region of Haryana. He was into tour-taxi and dairy products businesses, but had incurred losses. Later, he visited Saudi for Umrah. He also visited Dubai a few years back where he met few Pakistani nationals and thereafter he had started getting funds through hawala,” an NIA officer said.

Wani is from Kashmir and Salim hails from Delhi, sources said.

The arrests come just a day after the NIA carried out searches at multiple places at Daryaganj, Nizamuddin and Kucha Ghasiram areas in the national capital.

The searches were carried out after the agency had received fresh information with regard to its probe into a July 2 FIR in connection with a FIF terror-funding case.

According to the FIR, some Delhi-based individuals were receiving funds from FIF operatives based abroad and were using it to further terror activities.

“During investigation, it emerged that a Nizamuddin-based resident was in regular touch with one Dubai-based Pakistani national, who in turn is connected with the Deputy Chief of Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation. The accused person has been receiving funds, being sent by FIF operators and his associates through hawala operators,” NIA IG Alok Mittal said.

He added that the accused, along with other persons in various countries, including Pakistan, UAE, etc, were sending money through hawala to India to further their “nefarious activities and create unrest in India and carry out the terrorist activities”.

FIF is placed on the list of terrorist organisations as per entry 33 in the First Schedule to the UAPA, read with Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (Implementation of Security Council Resolutions) Order 2016.