ED attaches assets in terror funding case against Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday attached 13 assets located in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a terror funding case against Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. According to reports, the ED has also attached 13 properties of Mohammad Shafi Shah and six other terrorists of Hizbul-Mujahideen worth Rs 1.22 Crores in an ongoing investigation under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).

Earlier, the Supreme Court had rejected the plea of Syed Shahid Yousuf, son of globally banned outfit Hizbul Mujahideen founder and a 'specially designated global terrorist' Salahuddin, challenging the Delhi High Court order dismissing his bail petition in a terror funding case.

The top court said that once the trial court had granted extension of time to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to complete the investigation in the case, the accused was not entitled to statutory bail.

On May 31 last year, the Delhi High Court had dismissed his bail plea and had upheld the trial court order dismissing his statutory bail petition.     

42-year-old Yousuf was posted as agricultural assistant in Budgam of central Kashmir when he was arrested by the NIA on October 24, 2017. The bail plea of Yousuf, currently in judicial custody, was dismissed by the trial court here on March 7 last year.

Yousuf in his plea had said he was entitled to statutory bail and the special court had erred in denying him the relief in its order. He had also challenged the special court's order of February 5 last year allowing the NIA's plea for extension of time up to 180 days to complete investigation and remanding the accused to judicial custody.

The NIA had earlier alleged that the accused had links with proscribed terrorist organisations like Hizbul-Mujahideen. It had alleged that the case was registered on the basis of information about funds from Pakistan being sent to Jammu and Kashmir through hawala channels via Delhi to spread terrorism.

The NIA had in 2011 arrested several persons, including Ghulam Mohd Bhat with Rs 21.2 lakh, and alleged that Yousuf was "one of the several Indian contacts of Bhat" who had been in touch with him for receiving money transfer codes.

It had alleged that Yousuf's involvement was found in collecting funds from a terrorist outfit in Saudi Arabia and from other accused on directions of his father Mohd Yousuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, the self-styled supreme commander of the Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen.

Salahuddin was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of State in June last year.

The NIA has claimed that Yousuf has received a total of nearly Rs 4.5 lakh through eight international wire transfers. It had also registered two other cases related to terror funding - one in November 2011 and the other in May 2017. It had filed a charge sheet against 10 people including Salahuddin in the April 2011 case.

With PTI Inputs