New Delhi: A Delhi court has issued arrest warrants against eight alleged Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants on charges of money laundering related to “funding terrorist and secessionist activities” in Jammu & Kashmir.
Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against Gulam Nabi Khan, Umer Faroog Shera, Manzoor Ahmad Dar, Zaffar Hussain Bhat, Nazir Ahmad Dar, Abdul Majeed Sofi, Mubarak Shah and Mohammad Yusuf on a plea moved by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The court noted the submission made by ED’s Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana that the accused persons had been declared proclaimed offenders in 2013 itself.
“Thus, there are reasonable grounds to believe that accused persons named will not respond to summons. Issue NBWS against all the above said accused persons for the next date of hearing,” the judge said in an order passed on February 07.
The court also directed the ED to supply the copies of the charge-sheet, filed recently by the agency, to accused Mohammad Shafi Shah and the counsel appearing for other accused in the case – Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, Muzaffar Ahmad Dar and Talib Lali.
The court also sought a report from the jail officials within 15 days after Muzaffar Ahmad Dar complained that he was not allowed e-meeting with his family members by the authorities concerned.
The court will hear the matter further on March 30.
ED initiated investigation under PMLA based on an FIR lodged by NIA in 2011 which claimed that Mohammad Shafi Shah and his associates were involved in execution of sensational blasts in Jammu and Kashmir and huge quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered from them.
ED said its investigation revealed that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, allegedly the “most active terror outfit in Kashmir, has been responsible for funding terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu & Kashmir headed by Syed Salahuddin, its self-styled commander based out of Rawalpindi Pakistan.”
