Raids conducted at 7 places, devices seized
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Aug 3: The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) today carried out raids at seven places in the Union Territory in connection with militancy funding via Bitcoin trade.
This is for the first time when the SIA has detected militancy funding through Bitcoin trade in Jammu and Kashmir.
The searches were conducted at multiple locations spread across J&K. The house premises of suspects were searched in Mendhar, Poonch, Baramulla, Kupwara and Handwara in connection with investigation of a case registered in Counter Intelligence Police Station in Srinagar.
The case pertains to terror financing via Bitcoin trade. Police said the Pakistani mastermind in the financing has been identified.
Details that are being investigated into at the initial stage include a mastermind in Pakistan who with active support of Pakistani intelligence agencies and in connivance with proscribed militant organization(s) based in Pakistan has been pumping slush money to their agents in J&K for further distribution among militants organisation(s), secessionist(s) for fuelling mass violence and terror activities in J&K.
The Pakistani mastermind has been identified. His particulars, however, are being kept confidential because other agents connected with him are not alerted, an SIA spokesman said
The houses searched were that of Zahida Bano D/o Mutwali Pathan Khan of Hajinaka Manigah Hyhama, Kupwara; Ghulam Mujataba Deedad S/o Ghulam Nabi Deedad of Lone Hari, Kupwara; Tamjeeda Begum W/o Javid Ahmed Chachi of Satkoji Rajwara, Handwara; Yasir Ahmad Mir S/o Shams-ud-Din of Dewan Bagh Baramulla; Mohammad Sayed Masoodi S/o Sharief-ud-Din of Trajpora, Baramulla; Farooq Ahmad of Gagrian, Mandi Poonch and Imran Chowdhary of Dharana Mendhar.
Preliminary investigation revealed evidence that the dirty money originating from Pakistan has reached these persons (whose houses were searched), the spokesman said.
The transfer of money has been layered to prevent backward tracing of its origin, the investigation has revealed.
“While several accounts-in-the-middle that have been used to layer the money are outside J&K, the effective whitewashing of the Pakistani money has taken place through exploitation of loopholes in the international bitcoin trade,” he said.
During searches conducted today, incriminating material believed to be hidden in digital devices, SIM cards, mobile phones and documents, having a bearing on the investigation have been recovered and seized.
Analysis of the data and questioning of suspects would follow and leads that would emerge would become the basis of further investigation, the spokesman added.
Sources didn’t rule out the possibility of conducting more searches in the case later after interrogation of the persons whose houses were raided today and after going through digital devices, mobile telephones and SIM cards recovered from them.
“Some vital clues are expected after we go through the seized digital devices. Names of some more contacts of the accused could also be ascertained during further investigations of the case,” sources said, adding a special team has been set up for investigation of the case.
Though the persons whose houses were searched today haven’t been arrested, sources said they will be called for questioning and if their role was established they will be taken into custody.
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