Delhi court allows ED to quiz in Tihar jail 2 accused in terror funding case

A Delhi court Monday allowed the ED to interrogate in Tihar jail two accused, arrested in connection with a case of terror funding module allegedly led by terrorist Hafiz Saeed's Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF).

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal allowed the agency to interrogate accused Mohammad Salman and Mohd Salim in Tihar jail and record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The two accused were arrested by the NIA on September 26, 2018, in the terror funding case and are lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody.

The court directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to question both the accused for any two days between April 15 to 25.

ED's Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana sought Salman and Salim's custodial interrogation on the ground that the provisions under which the charge sheet was filed against them by the NIA falls within the ambit of the PMLA.

NIA had filed a charge sheet against Salman, Salim and six others for the alleged offences under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 121 (waging war against the government of India) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

"Since, the sections 120B and 121 of the IPC and relevant sections of the UAPA Act are scheduled offences under the provisions of PMLA, ED in order to investigate the alleged offences seeks their custodial interrogation," said the ED's application, filed through advocate A R Aditya.

As per the NIA's charge sheet, the accused had allegedly hatched a criminal conspiracy to engage in violence in carrying out subversive and secessionist activities in Delhi and around Haryana with the help of foreign handlers, ED's plea said.

"To achieve their objectives they have established a network of cadres who are funded through Pakistani Agencies via Hawala dealers under the garb of building mosque and charity. It has also been revealed that the accused have received money through Hawala for carrying out their objectives," the plea alleged.

It had emerged during the NIA's investigation that Mohammad Salman, a resident of the Nizamuddin in New Delhi, was in regular touch with a Dubai-based Pakistani national, who in turn was connected to the Deputy Chief of FIF, a front organisation of the proscribed terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The NIA had on September 25 last year conducted searches at the premises of Mohammad Salman in Nizamuddin, Daryaganj-resident Mohd Salim (hawala operator) and Rajaram in Kucha Ghasiram in New Delhi and seized Rs 1.56 crore in cash, Rs 43,000 in Nepali currency, 14 mobiles phones, five pen drives and several incriminating documents, it said.

Following the seizure of incriminating material, it had arrested from Delhi FIF operative Mohammad Salman (52), and Hawala operators Mohd Salim alias Mama (62) and Sajjad Abdul Wani (34), a resident of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

FIF, a Lahore-based organisation established by Jamat-ud-Dawa, was founded in 1990 by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed who is designated as global terrorist by the USA.

FIF is placed on the list of terrorist organisations here and it was also designated as a terrorist entity by the USA in 2010.