SIA Jammu arrests key accused in narco-terror funding case

The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested a key accused in a terror-funding case involving a former minister, an official said on Saturday.

The chargesheet against former minister Jatinder Singh alias 'Babu Singh' and two others were already filed in the case here in September last year.

Singh, chairman of Nature-Mankind Friendly Global Party, was arrested on April 9, last year, within days after he went underground following the arrest of his worker Mohammad Shareef Shah, a resident of south Kashmir's Kokernag, along with Rs 6.90 lakh hawala money in Jammu.

Shah had revealed that he was tasked by Singh, a resident of Kathua district, to collect the money, intended to be used for the anti-national activities, from Srinagar.

In another major success in the case, the official said Mohd Sharief Chechi, one of the wanted accused, was arrested by SIA Jammu from border township of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

After taking over the investigation of the case, the official said SIA busted the modus operandi adopted by the accused including Chechi who used to collect narcotics from across the Line of Control to generate proceeds for terror funding.

"There is a well organized drug syndicate including Mohd Rafiq Najar and Farooq Ahmad Naikoo operating from Dubai who were infusing narcotics into the Indian territory for generating terror funds, to fuel subversive activities challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security of India," the official said.

Further investigation into aspects of cross LoC operation of this narco smuggling and terror funding syndicate is ongoing at SIA Jammu, the official said.

The case was initially registered at Gandhi Nagar police station in Jammu following arrest of Shah on specific information that he along with the former minister were working under the directions of Pakistan's ISI and their agents to fund Jammu-based separatists to carry out subversive activities.