NEW DELHI, Aug 18: Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, arrested by the NIA for allegedly collecting money from Pakistan-based terror outfits for Hurriyat leaders, was today sent to 10-day custodial interrogation by a city court.
District Judge Poonam A Bamba allowed the agency’s plea for custody after it said that the accused was required to be confronted with evidence in the case in which Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in-law of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and six others were earlier arrested by the agency.
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The Judge said it was her considered opinion that ends of justice would be met by granting 10 days police custody to enable NIA to interrogate the accused.
The court is understood to have been told during an in- chamber proceedings by the probe agency that it had found various suspicious documents from the accused during the searches, including details of bank accounts and cash received by him from various terror outfits.
Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the agency, sought his custody for two weeks.
He is believed to have said during the hearing that the entire racket was spread outside the country and the accused was required to be confronted with various incriminating documents and taken to various places in relation with the ongoing probe.
The NIA also alleged that the accused was not cooperating in the investigation.
The defence advocate opposed the NIA application saying that the accused was a reputed businessman and a senior citizen who has always cooperated in the probe, court sources said.
Watali was arrested from here yesterday by the agency for alleged involvement in the case. Earlier, the agency had carried out raids in his premises and that of other suspects.
The NIA had said in a statement on June 3 that it had searched Watali’s house in Srinagar and seized incriminating documents pertaining to financial transactions and land deals.
The NIA had earlier arrested Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, popularly known as Altaf Fantoosh, and six others who are currently in judicial custody in the case. (PTI)
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