NIA arrests Hurriyat leader Masrat Alam and two other in terror funding case, moves them to Delhi's Tihar jail

Separatist leader and accused ringmaster of stone pelting in Jammu and Kashmir, Masrat Alam Bhat has been moved to Tihar jail by NIA in terror funding case.

Along with him, Kashmiri separatists Shabir Shah and Asiya Andrabi were arrested Tuesday in connection with a terror funding case and produced before a Delhi court which allowed NIA ir 10-day custodial interrogation.

general secretary of All Parties Hurriyat Conference has been shifted to Delhi's Tihar jail on Monday with a team of NIA and Jammu and Kashmir Police from state prison and will be produced in Patiala House Court. 

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case relates to alleged terror funding in Valley and involves Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind based in Pakistan.

Shah and Andrabi were already in custody in separate cases, while Bhat was brought from Jammu and Kashmir on transit remand where he was lodged in jail for alleged terror activities.

crackdown on Hurriyat leaders in valley has dented ir activities in valley.

NIA had filed a charge sheet in January 2018 against Saeed, ar terror mastermind Syed Salahuddin and 10 Kashmiri separatists in a case of alleged terror funding and secessionist activities in valley.

While Shah was in judicial custody in a decade-old money laundering case for alleged terror financing, Andrabi was in jail in a case of allegedly waging a war against country and delivering hate speeches in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to NIA, Shah had received Rs 10 lakh from hawala operator Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watal, a co-accused in case.

Besides, money was also sent to banned outfit Dukhtaraan-e-Milat of which Andrabi was chief, NIA said. 

NIA arrested m before court and sought ir custodial interrogation for 15-days.

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NIA's submission was opposed by defence advocates who said that accused were already in custody and NIA could interrogate m and re was need of custodial interrogation.

case in which accused were arrested Tuesday relates to an alleged conspiracy to w a war against government (Section 121 of Indian Penal Code) by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

probe ncy has chargesheeted 12 persons, including Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. 

Or offences for which accused were chargesheeted include those punishable under sections 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and various provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Besides Saeed and Salahuddin, or 10 accused in final report are - Hurriyat leader Syed Shah Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, Geelani's personal assistant Bashir Ahmad Bhat, media advisor and strategist of Hurriyat Conference Aftab Ahmad Shah, secessionist outfit National Front chief Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (R) Farooq Ahmad Dar, media advisor of Hurriyat Conference (Geelani faction) Mohammad Akbar Khanday, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat official Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, hawala operator Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watal and two stone-pelters - Kamran Yusuf and Javed Ahmad Bhat.

Taking a synchrous stand of that of Pakistan, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti had called for 'immediate release' of JKLF chief Yasin Malik citing his deteriorating health.

Malik, whose organisation JKLF was banned in March by Modi government, is also facing two CBI cases. se relate to kidnapping of Rubaiya Saeed, daughter of n Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, in 1989, and killing of four IAF personnel in 1990.

Following NIA securing JKLF chief Yasin Malik's custody for 12 days, on April 10 he was shifted to Delhi's Tihar Jail from Jammu's Kot Balwal jail where he had been lodged last month. Malik will face questioning related to terror funding case lodged against him by NIA.

NIA also summoned moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and son of pro-Pakistani separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani for questioning in Delhi in a terror-financing case, officials said on Saturday, March 9

Pakistan strongly condemns continuing incarceration and deteriorating health of Yasin Malik since February 22 on trumped up charges, Pakistan's foreign office said in a press release.

(With PTI inputs)