The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out simultaneous searches at multiple locations across Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a three-year-old terror funding case involving former minister Jatinder Singh, popularly known as Babu Singh.
The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at six locations in Srinagar and two in Jammu, including the residence of the former minister in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Some officers of the Enforcement Directorate came to my house and asked for some documents. I cooperated with them as I have nothing to hide," Singh told The International Business Times. He said the searches at his house were related to an old case. "The court has already acquitted me of all charges except one. For the last three years, since the case was filed, I have been cooperating with the investigating agencies," he added.
Ex-minister was arrested in 2022
The case dates back to March 2022, when a man identified as Mohammad Shareef Shah was arrested while allegedly carrying ₹6.9 lakh in hawala money from Kashmir to Jammu, purportedly meant for Babu Singh.
According to the police, the money Shah was carrying was intended for Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh, and was to be used for "anti-national activities" of his organization, the Nature Mankind Friendly Global Party. Shah, who was designated as the party's secretary, had reportedly received the funds in Kashmir through an unidentified person and was travelling to Jammu to deliver the cash to Singh.
Investigators said the money was arranged by Mohammad Hussain Khateeb, a Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorist operating from Pakistan. However, Shah was arrested before he could hand over the money to Babu Singh.
During interrogation, Shah disclosed that he had been instructed by Singh to collect the funds from a man named Omer in Srinagar. He also revealed the names of his local and overseas associates — Javed and Khateeb from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and Farooq Khan from Toronto.
Babu Singh was arrested from Kathua district on April 9, 2022, and subsequently shifted to Jammu for questioning. Earlier, on April 6, police had issued a lookout notice against him after his name surfaced in the case on March 31, following the arrest of four individuals allegedly linked to a hawala network.
A former minister in the PDP–Congress coalition government (2002), Babu Singh has been an outspoken critic of the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. He has frequently voiced opposition to the Centre's move and has demanded the restoration of J&K's special status and statehood.
He won the assembly elections from the Kathua segment in 2002 as an Independent candidate.
As per the chargesheet filed by the investigating agencies, Singh allegedly maintained contact with Hizbul Mujahideen operatives, and the funds were routed from Pakistan through intermediaries to support his political outfit. Investigations further revealed that Singh had been in touch with Mohammad Hussain Khateeb, the HM operative based in Pakistan, through encrypted social media platforms and had even undertaken a clandestine trip to Dubai to arrange funds.
