Non-bailable warrants against Hafiz, 3 others in terror funding case
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants (NBWS) against Lashkar-e-taiba (LET) chief Muhammad Hafiz Saeed, Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, separatist Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Funtoosh and businessman from the UAE Naval Kishore Kapoor, while taking cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s money-laundering charges in a Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.
Watali’s company M/s Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd has also been arrayed as accused by the court while issuing the NBWS. While Saeed, who is the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, moves around freely in Pakistan and enjoys the patronage of its spy agency — ISI — Watali, Funtoosh and Kapoor are lodged in Tihar jail.
ED’S special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana submitted in the court of special judge National Investigation Agency (NIA) Praveen Singh at Patiala House Courts that “Watali was receiving money from Hafiz Saeed (Founder of Jamaat-ud-dawa and its military arm LET) and ISI as well as Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, which was further remitted to the Hurriyat leaders, separatists and stonethrowers in the Kashmir valley”.
Naval Kishore Kapoor mobilised funds from unknown sources in Dubai and remitted the same to Watali and his company Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd, according to Rana.
The ED launched a probe under Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the J&K terror funding on the basis of an NIA charge sheet against Saeed and others in 2018. It has already attached Watali’s properties worth close to ₹8 crore.
In its charge sheet in 2018, NIA said a former Pakistani prime minister (without naming the person) wrote a letter to Watali, which was recovered from the latter’s residence. NIA also recovered a list of ISI officials, according to officials.
Both NIA and ED have said in their official court documents, reviewed by HT, that Saeed and another Un-listed terrorist, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, Pakistan and its agencies provided funds via Dubai by using bogus transactions for terror activities in J&K. Subsequently, funds came through transfers from bank account of certain individuals, hawala, LOC (Line of Control) barter trade by under-invoicing of goods and bogus companies floated abroad, officials say. “The secessionist leaders belonging to All Parties Hurriyat Conference have established a network of cadres throughout Kashmir valley who incite the youth to attack all symbols of Indian sovereignty, especially Indian security forces...,” the NIA said.
HT could not locate Watali and other accused person’s legal representatives on Saturday.