ED arrests three persons in terror financing, money laundering case

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 14 : Three individuals, Mohammad Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, and Sabzzar Ahmad Shaikh, hailing from Srinagar and Anantnag (J&K), were arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Tuesday under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
According to ED, their arrests are linked to a money laundering case involving terror financing activities, where they were found collaborating with Pakistani handlers.
The accused individuals, along with Pakistani handlers such as Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat, orchestrated admissions in MBBS and other courses in Pakistani colleges for students from Jammu and Kashmir.
Following an investigation initiated by ED based on an FIR registered by the J&K Police, it was revealed that these individuals were funneling money received through personal accounts and the Al-Jabar Trust, a charitable trust, into terrorist activities in India.
The funds were utilized for various nefarious purposes, including financing stone-pelting activities and providing financial support to individuals and terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir, as per instructions from Pakistani handlers. Earlier, ED had provisionally attached properties worth approximately Rs. 5 Crore under the PMLA, 2002.
The arrested individuals have been remanded to ED custody until February 20 by the Court of the Special Judge Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) (CBI-Cases) Kashmir, Srinagar.
The investigation is ongoing as ED continues to unravel the intricate web of terror financing and money laundering activities orchestrated by these individuals and their handlers.