Masrat Alam (above), Asiya Andrabi (below left) and Shabir Shah (below right)The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday took into custody Kashmiri separatist leaders Masarat Alam, Asiya Andrabi and Shabbir Shah in connection with a terror funding case against LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. A special court in Delhi Tuesday granted the agency their custody for 10 days.
While Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi was already in jail after her arrest by NIA last year in connection with a separate terror case, this is the first time the agency has arrested Hurriyat member Masarat Alam and Shabbir Shah. Alam was in jail in Jammu and Kashmir under the Public Safety Act before the NIA brought him to Delhi on transit remand, sources said.
Shah was earlier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a case of money laundering related to alleged funding of terror.
The NIA case is related to alleged funnelling of funds by terror groups in Pakistan to Kashmiri separatists for fuelling turmoil in the Valley.
NIA had in February last year filed a chargesheet in the case against 12 people, including Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. The other 10 include Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah and Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali.
