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| NIA takes over probe into ISI-linked Hawala module spanning Kathua to Uttarakhand | | |  Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, June 18: Two weeks after Jammu and Kashmir Police busted an alleged Pakistan-sponsored inter-state terror funding module involving two women from Uttarakhand and a couple from Kathua, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has stepped in to further investigate the case.
Sources said the NIA has examined the investigation conducted so far by Kathua Police and prepared a detailed report based on the evidence collected during the probe.
The central agency has also questioned the three accused lodged in a jail in Jammu and is expected to formally register a case in the coming days.
Investigators believe the case has exposed a well-organised hawala network allegedly being operated at the behest of Pakistan-based handlers to channel funds for anti-national activities across different parts of the country.
The three accused arrested in the case are Rahul Khan, a resident of Sunjwan in Jammu, and Pooja and Sonam, both residents of Uttarakhand. All three are currently lodged in a jail.
According to the investigation, Rahul Khan, a driver by profession, had allegedly been working for Pakistan-based terror handlers for the last four months.
During the probe, police discovered that he had opened 14 bank accounts in his and his wife Sapna's names. These accounts were linked to multiple UPI IDs created using different mobile numbers and were allegedly used to facilitate financial transactions.
Investigators further revealed that Sonam and Pooja had opened 20 bank accounts between them, with each operating 10 accounts. These accounts were also linked to various mobile numbers and UPI IDs, enabling the movement of funds through multiple channels.
So far, suspicious transactions worth nearly Rs 50 lakh have been traced by investigators. Police sources said the accused were provided with SIM cards and smartphones by members of a terrorist sleeper cell to conduct financial operations while concealing their identities.
As reported earlier, the case first came to light after Kathua Police arrested Rahul Khan and subsequently developed leads pointing towards a larger network operating outside Jammu and Kashmir. Acting on intelligence gathered during his interrogation, a police team from Kathua, in coordination with Uttarakhand Police, conducted raids in the Roorkee-Haridwar region and arrested Sonam and Pooja.
Sonam, who worked as a teacher in a private school in Uttarakhand, was arrested from a village falling under the Piran Kaliyar police station area near Roorkee. During interrogation, she allegedly confessed to transferring around Rs 20 lakh through various bank accounts and receiving a commission of Rs 2 lakh for facilitating the transactions.
Police said Sonam came into contact with Rahul Khan through a network of intermediaries and was later introduced to individuals identified as Umar and Haseen, who are suspected to be linked to the cross-border network. The handlers allegedly supplied her with SIM cards, ATM cards and bank passbooks through courier services.
Investigators claim that money received in the accounts operated by Sonam was subsequently distributed across 20 to 25 other accounts in an apparent attempt to obscure the financial trail.
During questioning, Sonam allegedly disclosed the involvement of her friend Pooja, a college lecturer from Haridwar, leading to her arrest. According to investigators, the two women developed a close association before allegedly becoming part of the network.
Police suspect that the accused, along with several other individuals from Jammu and Kashmir and other states, received funds routed from Pakistan through multiple channels and facilitated their transfer through a complex web of bank accounts.
Officials said the investigation has uncovered a sophisticated hawala and terror-financing network involving numerous bank accounts and digital payment platforms. Preliminary findings suggest that suspicious transactions worth several crores of rupees may have been routed through the network, prompting the NIA to take over the probe for a deeper investigation into its national and cross-border links. |
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