Delhi court extends custody of stone pelters arrested from J-K

The Patiala House Court on Saturday extended the police custody of the two stone pelters arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA had asked for an extension of custody for seven days, but the court granted only four days.

The investigation agency had arrested two notorious stone pelters from Jammu and Kashmir earlier in September as a part of ongoing crackdown against terror funding in the state.

According to the NIA sources, the arrested stone pelters have been identified as Javed Ahmad Bhat from Kulgam and Kamran Yusuf from Pulwama.

The NIA visited Srinagar in May to probe the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir, and questioned several separatist leaders on the issue of raising, collecting and transferring funds via the Hawala route and other channels to fund terror activities in Kashmir.

In July, the NIA arrested seven separatist leaders - Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehraj Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate - over money laundering charges to fund terror in the Kashmir Valley.

On August 17, the NIA arrested Zahoor Ahmed Watali, a prominent businessman of Kashmir.

The NIA on Tuesday summoned Kashmir Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom on September 6 at the Delhi Headquarters in connection with the terror-funding case.