ATS to quiz key accused about money trail
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) will interrogate Ramesh Shah, the key accused in terror funding case arrested from Pune, Maharashtra on Tuesday, about the network involved behind entire money trail and people involved in it.
The ATS on Friday procured his seven days custody remand from a city court. “The court has granted Shah’s seven days custody remand from Saturday morning and he will be brought to the ATS office for quizzing after taking his custody from Lucknow district jail where he was lodged,” said inspector general (IG) of police, ATS, Asim Arun.
He said the ATS team had prepared a list of questions related to money trail that would be asked from Shah.
He said the quizzing will be focused to further explore the terror funding network and other people involved in it. He said the ATS investigators will try to extract information about the money trail from outside the country to different places across India. “We have extracted some information by retrieving the data of mobile phones and laptops seized from Shah. He will be cross-questioned about the information found in his mobile phone and laptop,” said the IG and added, “There are some contact numbers in their mobile phones that are suspected to be part of same nexus”. Arun said the suspects will also be quizzed about their links in Pakistan and Nepal.
He said the ATS will try to find out money source and its beneficiaries. He said Shah will also be questioned whether other than him any other person was also in touch with Pakistan handlers operating from Gulf countries.
He said Shah had been entrusted with the task of supplying money to sleeping modules or operatives working for terror outfits in various states. He said the money was transferred to different bank accounts in Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and several North Eastern states.
Arun said Shah’s name had surfaced in terror funding after the arrest of Satvinder Singh and Dadu from RS Pura sector in Jammu and Kashmir, who were accused of spying for Pakistan and sharing secret information on mobile networking applications, in November 2016. He said Shah was on the ATS radar since then and managed to arrest after around 20 months effort.