NIA probes hawala funding of mosque in Haryana allegedly by Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliate

NEW DELHI: National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing a terror-funding module of Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) that allegedly financed the construction of a mosque at Uttawar village in Palwal, Haryana, is also looking at the possibility of a larger network of similar persons/modules spread across the country through which FIF may be channeling terror funds into India.

NIA, TOI has learnt, is examining if other Indians visiting or working in Dubai or UAE were in touch with Pakistani nationals there who may be acting as conduits for FIF terror funds being pumped into India for allegedly carrying out terrorist activities. Mohammad Salman, a key accused arrested by NIA in the case and originally from Uttawar, had come in contact with one Kamran, a Pakistani businessman, during his two visits to Dubai. Kamran in turn was in touch with the deputy chief of FIF, a proscribed affiliate of Lashker-e-Taiba run by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Mohammmad Saeed, and was acting as a conduit for sending terror funds via hawala route to India.

Apart from Salman, NIA arrested two hawala couriers in Delhi on September 25 — Mohd Salim, resident of Daryaganj and Sajjad Abdul Wani, resident of Srinagar. While Wani’s premises in Srinagar were raided, he disclosed during his interrogation that he was only carrying funds for one Hilal Ahmed Rather. NIA later raided Hilal’s office and residence at Lajpat Nagar and recovered Rs 18 lakh cash, six mobile phones, SIMs and some incriminating documents.

Salman, on his part, told his interrogators that he had used FIF funds received through hawala for construction of a mosque in Uttawar. NIA later conducted searches at the local mosque and recovered documents confirming that nearly Rs 70 lakh of the Rs 2-21/2 crore used to construct the mosque were FIF funds received through hawala route. The remaining, said a source, may have come by way of donations received from local members of the community.

The modus operandi was clear. Salman was cultivated by Kamran, by no means a big businessman in Dubai, to channel FIF funds into India. “The FIF angle is further confirmed by the fact that Kamran chose to send the funds not through the legitimate route but hawala,” said an investigator. It is now being probed if there were similar persons located elsewhere in India who are in touch with FIF conduits in Dubai and UAE and were “cultivated” to channel FIF terror funds into India.

During the September 25 searches by NIA at multiple places in Daryaganj, Nizamuddin and Kucha Ghasiram here, huge cash amounting to Rs 1.5 crore, Rs 43,000 in Nepali currency, 14 mobile phones, five pen drives and several incriminating documents were recovered. “NIA is carefully studying the documents seized, including those recovered later from the mosque at Uttawar,” said an officer.