Dismantling the terror ecosystem and severing financial links, the Counter-Intelligence wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested two individuals from New Delhi for operating a global terror funding network.
One of the arrested terror associates had been masquerading as a legitimate trader in Delhi to evade intelligence agencies. He was operating an international terror financing module with the involvement of foreign-based handlers, Gulf-based sympathisers, and local Over Ground Workers (OGWs).
The Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) conducted a swift and surgical raid on a business unit in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, aimed at dismantling a sophisticated cross-border terror funding syndicate.
The raids were conducted under FIR No. 02/2024, registered at Police Station CIK Srinagar. They were legally sanctioned through search warrants issued by a Special Judge designated under the NIA Act in Srinagar and form part of a wider investigation under Sections 13, 38, 39, and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), read with Section 120-B of the IPC.
According to an official spokesperson of the CIK, the case has unearthed a chilling conspiracy orchestrated by handlers and commanders of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) from across the Line of Control (LoC). In connivance with Pakistani nationals settled in Gulf countries and other foreign territories, these handlers were funneling terror funds into the heart of Kashmir through a network of couriers disguised as pilgrims, businessmen, and expatriates.
In a stunning revelation, it has come to light that Mohammad Ayoub Bhat, a resident of Budgam who operated a business establishment titled Shalimar Textiles in Lajpat Nagar, had been posing as a legitimate trader while acting as a key financial conduit for LeT's terror activities in the Valley.
"Working hand in glove with him was Mohammad Rafiq Shah, a resident of SDA Colony Bemina. Both individuals were at the nerve centre of this covert financial operation," the statement added.
Explosive digital evidence—including suspicious communications with Pakistani handlers, foreign remittances routed through underground hawala networks, and encrypted chats with terror affiliates—has been seized. The recovered devices and documents are currently being forensically analyzed and are expected to expose a larger, deeply entrenched funding network.
"Acting on confessions and technical leads, CIK teams, along with Delhi Police, searched premises in Lajpat Nagar, recovering vital documentary and electronic evidence that is expected to fuel the next stage of this high-profile investigation," the spokesperson stated.
The initial interrogation of the arrested individuals has already begun, peeling back layers of an international terror financing ring involving foreign-based handlers, Gulf-based sympathisers, and local OGWs—all connected through a covert cash pipeline aimed at fomenting unrest and bloodshed in Jammu & Kashmir, the CIK added.
