NIA conducts searches in FIF terror funding case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted searches at eight locations across the country in connection with Pakistan-based Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) terror funding case.

The locations where searches were conducted by the agency include Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, Sikar and Jaipur in Rajasthan, Delhi, Valsad and Surat in Gujarat and Kasargod in Kerala.

"A total of 26 SIM cards, including three foreign, 23 mobile phones, five memory cards, one compact disk, five hard disks, one pen drive, one CPU, eight passports/ foreign cards, nine debit cards, one laptop, Rs 21 lakh in cash, gold items (used jewellery) approx 2 kg and various incriminating documents (also related to Dubai) were recovered during the searches," an NIA official said.

The NIA registered the FIF terror funding case on July 2, 2018 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

As per the case, some Delhi-based individuals were receiving funds from FIF operatives based abroad and using the same to further terror activities. FIF was established by Jamaat-ud-Dawa of 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who is a designated "global terrorist". The US also designated FIF as a terrorist entity in 2010. It is a front-end organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a terror organisation proscribed under the UAPA. It was founded in 1990 by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

To date, four accused have been arrested by the NIA in connection with the case. "The investigation is continuing to unearth the larger conspiracy, to collect evidence and to arrest the other accused persons," said the NIA official.

The NIA on Monday arrested suspected LeT member Mohammad Hussain Molani, 43, from Jaipur airport in Rajasthan after his arrival from Dubai on Sunday.

Molani, a resident of Kuchaman city in Rajasthan's Nagaur district, had been evading arrest and living in Dubai. The agency had earlier issued a lookout circular against him. He was produced before a special NIA team in New Delhi on Monday and remanded to nine-day custody.

The NIA said it busted FIF terror funding module during searches at multiple places in Delhi on September 25, 2018. The agency had earlier arrested Mohammad Salman, 52, alleged hawala operator, Salim, 62, and Sajjad Abdul Wani, 34, in connection with the case.

--IANS

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