SIA conducts raids in suspected terror funding case

Jammu: The State Investigation Agency of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday raided several locations linked to a head constable arrested on fraud charges to ascertain if he was also involved in terror financing, officials said.
Mohammad Ramzan, who was arrested on Tuesday, has 16 bank accounts in his name with transactions running into crores. He was also in touch with 10 foreign mobile numbers and had procured a fake passport, they said.
Teams of the SIA also raided the house of Dubai-based Abu Bakar in Bhatindi area of Jammu city, officials said.
“We are investigating to see if he (Ramzan) was also involved in terror funding as he has a number of accounts with transactions running into crores,” an official said.
Bakar, a resident of Doda, is at large and hiding in Dubai, they said.
The case relates to duping people of their money on fake assurances, promises and also indulging in immoral activities having dangerous security implications for the state, a senior official said.
During the course of the raids at two different locations in Jammu and Kashmir, search parties have seized various incriminating material having direct bearing on the investigation of the case related to terror funding, he said.
Besides, analysis of the said material would follow and leads that would emerge would become the basis for further investigation in the suspected case of terror funding, the official said.
The searches are aimed at dismantling the terror ecosystem across Jammu and Kashmir by identifying various overground workers, terror supporters and against those involved in facilitating unlawful activities concerning national security, officials said.
Denying bail to Ramzan on Tuesday, a local court observed that the police report about his 16 bank accounts with transactions of around Rs 6 crore and his contact with 10 foreign mobile numbers pointed towards the seriousness of the matter.
The police investigation has also revealed that Ramzan had visited many parts of the country, including Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Goa. He used numerous mobile applications and VPN (virtual private network) for communication purposes.
The SIA also found that Ramzan procured several PAN cards using fake documents. He also travelled abroad using the forged documents.