Terror Funding Case: NIA arrests Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin's second son Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah

Tightening its noose in the terror funding case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Hizb-ul Mujahideen supreme commander and United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin's second son — Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah — from his residence at Rambagh in Srinagar on Thursday.

The arrest of the 48-year-old Shah, a laboratory technician at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, comes 10 months after NIA arrested his younger brother, Syed Shahid Yousuf in the same case.

"The case pertains to transfer of funds through hawala channels by Pakistan-based terrorists to Jammu and Kashmir, in a criminal conspiracy hatched with some operatives in India. This is in a bid to fuel and fund the secessionist and terrorist activities in J&K", said NIA in a statement.

NIA said Ghulam Mohammed Bhat alias Abdul Rehman and three others were charge-sheeted in 2011 in the same case. "In October 2017, Yousuf, the younger son of accused Salahuddin was arrested by NIA, as he had received funds from Hizb-ul-Mujahideen from abroad. He was charge-sheeted in 2018. In this case, so far, three accused persons — Mohommad Sidiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga — have been convicted after they pleaded guilty," said the NIA.

Last year, Salahuddin, who is based in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, was declared `Specially Designated Global Terrorist' by the United States.

"During investigation, Shah's involvement in raising, receiving, collecting funds from terrorist organization through its active cadres from Saudi Arabia also surfaced. He had received money through Western Union several times which were sent by absconding charge-sheeted accused Aijaz Ahmad Bhat alias Aijaz Maqbool Bhat," said the NIA.

NIA said investigation revealed that he had also received funds from various countries from the operatives of Hizb-ul- Mujahideen. "Accused was summoned by NIA for questioning but he did not appear. A non-bailable warrant was earlier issued by NIA Special Court, Patiala House, New Delhi," the NIA said. Shah is being brought to Delhi where he would be produced before the NIA Special Court for seeking his police custody for custodial interrogation.

The move was condemned by Joint Resistance Leadership, who termed the arrest as a "political witch hunt".