A week after arresting a female school teacher for her alleged involvement in a Pakistan-linked hawala network used to fund terror activities, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a college lecturer from Uttarakhand as the investigation into the sensational case expanded from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir to Haridwar.
The woman lecturer was arrested for her alleged involvement in an ISI-linked hawala network suspected of channeling funds for anti-national activities across the country.
The accused has been identified as Pooja, a resident of Haridwar. Police alleged that she, along with her associate Sonam, was receiving money from a group linked to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and facilitating financial transactions aimed at creating unrest in different parts of India.
The arrest follows a raid conducted earlier this week by a team of Jammu and Kashmir Police from Kathua district in coordination with the Uttarakhand Police.
On Sunday, the police team carried out a search operation in a village falling under the Piran Kaliyar police station area near Roorkee, where Sonam was arrested. Sonam was working as a teacher in a private school in Uttarakhand.
The arrest followed intelligence inputs gathered during the interrogation of a suspect arrested earlier in Kathua.
Reports said that during joint interrogation, Sonam allegedly confessed to having transferred approximately ₹20 lakh into various bank accounts. In return, she allegedly received a commission of ₹2 lakh.
According to police, the investigation has uncovered a sophisticated network used to channel funds through multiple bank accounts.
Police said Sonam came into contact with a man identified as Rahul Khan, whose arrest in Kathua led investigators to her. During questioning, it was allegedly revealed that Sonam was introduced to a person named Umar through a friend and was later connected to Umar's cousin, Haseen.
According to reports, these handlers provided her with multiple SIM cards, ATM cards, and bank passbooks through courier parcels. She allegedly received funds in these accounts and subsequently distributed the money to 20 to 25 other accounts to obscure the transaction trail.
During interrogation, Sonam allegedly disclosed the involvement of her friend Pooja, prompting investigators to widen the probe and subsequently arrest the college lecturer.
According to reports Pooja was employed as a lecturer at a college and had come into contact with Sonam during that period. According to police, the two developed a close friendship before allegedly becoming part of the network.
Investigators claim that the duo, along with several youths from Jammu and Kashmir, received funds from Pakistan through multiple channels for activities considered detrimental to national interests.
During the investigation, police reportedly uncovered financial transactions involving multiple bank accounts. Officials said the money was routed through a network of accounts and that the total value of suspicious transactions ran into crores of rupees.
According to investigators, cash deposits were initially made into Sonam's bank account and subsequently transferred to 20 to 25 different accounts as part of the alleged hawala operation.
Network busted by Kathua Police in May
Police in Kathua district on May 29 busted an alleged Pakistan-linked hawala network and arrested a man and a woman who claimed to be husband and wife.
During interrogation, several important revelations reportedly came to light. Investigators found that nearly ₹1 crore had been deposited into various bank accounts linked to the accused from sources in Pakistan. The network is suspected to have links across several states.
Police also conducted raids in the Sunjwan area of Jammu district in connection with the case. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the matter.
According to officials, Kathua Police arrested Rahul Khan from the Lakhanpur area after it was found that he was in contact with individuals across the border. His mobile number had been placed under surveillance, which eventually led to his arrest.
Following his questioning, a woman identified as Sapna was also arrested.
Investigators found that Rahul, a driver by profession, originally belonged to Sunjwan but had been residing in different areas of Kathua district for some time.
An examination of his bank accounts revealed that money had allegedly been transferred from Pakistan. The total amount received is estimated to be around ₹1 crore.
Police said the accused was operating more than 15 bank accounts through which the funds were routed. Given the seriousness of the case, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kathua, constituted an SIT headed by an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police. The team also includes the DSP DAR and the concerned Station House Officer.
The investigation allegedly revealed that the accused was working at the behest of handlers based in Pakistan and was receiving substantial payments in return.
Police said they have examined the accused's links and uncovered connections extending to several states, including Uttarakhand, Kerala, and Assam.
