Jammu: The nexus between Jaish-e-Mohammad and Punjab-based gangsters came to the fore as the State Investigation Agency Tuesday filed a chargesheet against five accused in a terror funding case registered last year.
The case was registered in November last year following the recovery of Rs 43 lakh from a Kashmir-bound vehicle.
The chargesheet was filed before the NIA special court in Jammu against the accused including a Pakistan-based JeM commander and three Punjab gangsters under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and Indian Penal Code, an official of the SIA said.
This was the second chargesheet filed by the SIA in the terror funding case in the past three months after taking over the investigation in January.
Those chargesheeted include JeM commander Ashiq Nengroo alias Ashiq Molvi, a resident of Hanjan Bala village of Rajpora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, “who is presently operating from across the border,” the official said.
He said other four accused chargesheeted are Muzammil Ahmad Malik of Pulwama and Ravi kumar alias Nona, Jaideep Dhawan alias Deep and Amarbir Singh alias Gopi Mahal — all residents of Punjab.
The case pertains to the seizure of Rs 43 lakhs by the Jammu police at Sidhra bridge from three persons travelling in a passenger taxi towards Kashmir on November 16, 2021.
The original chargesheet was filed on May 14 against two accused persons — Mouzzam Parvez and Umar Farooq, both residents of Dalipora village of Pulwama who had collected the cash from Amritsar in Punjab.
“Investigations have revealed that the accused Parvez and Farooq had conspired with Muzammil Malik and accused Nengroo and knowingly facilitated the movement of terror funds which were to be further distributed to JeM terrorists operating in valley for launching terrorist attacks in India,” the official said.
He said the “terror funding was facilitated by Malik, who had managed the travel of accused Parvez and Farooq in his truck, and Punjab based gangsters and narcotics smugglers who delivered the terror funding amount.
“Parvez and Farooq had received the illegal terror funding amount of Rs 15 lakhs as per the directions received from Pakistan-based designated terrorist (Nengroo) from Amarbir Singh at Amritsar at a pre-decided location on Amritsar highway. He was assisted by his close associates Ravi Kumar and Jaideep Dhawan. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the residence of Kumar at Amritsar,” the official said.
He said Amarbir Singh is a gangster in Punjab associated with narcotics and weapons smuggler Baljinder Singh alias Billa Mandiala, and involved in more than 23 FIRs of murder and extortion.
