ED Files Charge Sheet Against Saeed, Others for Terror Funding

ED officials said that funds were re-routed from Pakistan to Dubai and further to India through hawala channels.

Hafiz Saeed. 

(Photo: IANS)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against founder of banned terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jamaat-Ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation Hafiz Saeed, his deputy Shahid Mehmood, Mohammad Salman, Dubai-based Pakistani Mohammad Kamran and Mohammad Salim alias Mama, a Delhi-based hawala operator in a terror funding case.

An ED official said that the agency filed a charge sheet against them under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in the terror funding case. The ED registered a case on the basis of the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Salman, Salim and Kamran under several sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

The official said that during the probe it was revealed that funds were re-routed from Pakistan to Dubai and further to India through hawala channels.

“Salman was the recipient of funds sent by Kamran and his associates Abdul Aziz Behlim and Arif Gulambashir Dharampuria, in Dubai,” the official said.

The ED seized incriminating documents from the house of Salman, Salim and Dharampuria during the searches conducted by NIA and email correspondence reflect these hawala transactions by Mohammad Uzair to Kamran, on the instructions of Salman.

"With respect to the inflow of funds from Dubai, the quantum of funds that Salman was receiving from Kamran and his associates in Dubai, through hawala channels, has been quantified on the basis of emails, receipts and registers maintained by accused," the official said.

The official further said that Salman used the funds received from abroad for construction of Masjid at Uttawar in Haryana's Palwal and marriages of poor girls in and around area of village Uttawar.

“ED identified properties to the tune of Rs 4.69 crore amassed through the proceeds of crime. Three immovable property of accused Salman, located in New Delhi, having a value of Rs 73.12 lakh has been attached by the ED,” it said.

Salman and Salim are currently under judicial custody. According to the NIA, Salman was found to be involved in receiving funds from FIF operators and his associates through illegally operated hawala channel. FIF is a Pakistan-based terror organisation established by Jamat-ud-Dawa.

It was founded by Hafiz Saeed, the head of LeT and JuD. Falah-i-Insaniyat foundation has been designated as terrorist organisation by the United Nations on 14 March, 2012. Hafiz Saeed was also designated as global terrorist by the UN.

NIA has claimed that the FIF is nothing but a front organisation of JuD and LeT that was formed to evade security and sanctions. The India government has designated FIF as a terrorist organisation in August 2016. As such, LeT seeks to raise funds and build network through FIF for further terror activities.