In a significant crackdown on terror financing, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a native of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir for his involvement in a money laundering case linked to Pakistan’s conspiracy of funding terrorism. The arrested individual has been identified as Mohammad Abdullah Shah.
According to officials, Mohammad Abdullah Shah was apprehended on 06/02/2024 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The case pertains to terror financing, where accused individuals collaborated with Pakistani handler Manzoor Ahmad Shah to facilitate admissions in MBBS and other courses in colleges of Pakistan for students from Jammu and Kashmir.
Mohammad Abdullah Shah was presented before the Hon’ble Court of the Special Judge ACB (CBI-Cases) Kashmir, Srinagar, where the court granted ED custody till 13/02/2024.
The investigation by the Enforcement Directorate was initiated based on an FIR registered and charge sheet issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The accused individuals, including Mohammad Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, Qazi Yasir, Syed Khalid Geelani alias Khalid Andrabi, and others, were found to be in collusion with Pakistani handlers.
These handlers arranged admissions in MBBS and other courses in Pakistan for students from Jammu and Kashmir in exchange for hefty sums of money, ranging from Rs 10 to 15 lakh per student.
The funds were received in the accounts of the accused individuals and the bank accounts of Al-Jabar Trust, ostensibly opened for charitable purposes. However, these accounts were utilized to receive funds from students and funnel them into terrorist activities in India. The funds were distributed to stone pelters and provided to individuals or terrorists based in Jammu and Kashmir on the instructions of Pakistani handlers.