Terror funding case: Court issues summons against Hizbul chief Salahuddin and others, takes cognizance under PMLA sections

By Sushil Batra
New Delhi [India], December 8 : A Delhi Court has taken cognizance under sections of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case related to terror funding case involving Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and others.
The Court has also issued summons against all accused including Syed Salahuddin.
Syed Salahuddin is India's most wanted and internationally proscribed terrorist Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) chief.
The Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh on Tuesday said, "I have gone through the complaint as well as the documents/ evidence annexed with the complaint. After perusing the record, I take cognizance of offence u/s 3 of PMLA punishable u/s 4 of PMLA. Summons be issued to the accused persons for February 7, 2022."
"During the investigation, summons were issued to some of the Indian firms involved in barter trading and statements of three of the firms were recorded. Statements of accused u/s 50 PMLA was recorded. During the investigation, evidence was collected from various authorities. Details of properties attached by the directorate have been given in the chargesheet. After completion of the investigation, a complaint about the commission of the offence of money laundering as defined u/s 3 and punishable u/s 4 of PMLA has been filed," the court noted.
According to the ED investigation, it was revealed that the Mohammad Shafi
Shah, Talib Lali, Mohd. Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, Gulam Nabi Khan, Umer Farooq Shera, Manzoor Ahmed Dar, Zaffar Hussain Bhat, Nazir Ahmad Dar, Abdul Majeed Sofi and Mubarak Shah accused persons in connivance with co-conspirators and associates carried out several terrorist acts, raised, collected and received funds from Pakistan through the different medium for its expenditure and distribution to active cadres of HM and other terrorist outfits, purchase of material used for explosives and terrorist acts and abetment of terrorist acts.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Nitesh Rana along with Advocate Ali Khan appeared for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the matter. Lawyers submitted that the said outfit HM is allegedly involved in funding approx. Rs. 80 crores for terrorist activities in India.
Letters to Custom and Excise Srinagar was sent for obtaining the details of the
companies of Jammu and Kashmir who were involved in barter trading with Pakistan and the list of Indian Traders who were involved in barter trading with Pakistani terror funding traders was obtained, ED submitted.
The ED had attached several properties in Kashmir that belonged to Mohammad Shafi Shah, a resident of Bandipora, Gulam Nabi, a resident of Anantnag district, and five other residents of the Union Territory, who allegedly worked for the terror outfit.
Provisional attachment order against these properties was issued in March 2019. After the confirmation of the provisional attachment of the properties by the adjudicating authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the possession of the six properties were taken.
The economic offences watchdog had filed a criminal case of money laundering in this instance after taking cognisance of a National Investigating Agency (NIA) chargesheet filed against Salahuddin, Shah and others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).