NIA Files Chargesheet Against Three Persons in Cross Border LoC Trade, Militancy Funding Case
Srinagar, Dec 23 : National Investigation Agency on Friday said that it filed chargehseet against three persons in connection with case of cross LoC trade and militancy funding case.In a handout to GNS, ths NIA said that today it has filed a charge-sheet against three accused persons in case RC-17/2016/NIA/DLI. The case was registered suo-moto on 16.12.2016. The accused persons charge sheeted under sections 120B of IPC and sections 17, 20, 21, 39 and 40 of UA(P) Act are as Tanveer Ahmad Wani son of Ghulam Ahmad Wani resident of Achagoza,PS Rajpora, Distt. Pulwama, Peer Arshad Iqbal @ Ashu son of Peer Gayasuddin resident of Khwaja Bagh, Baramulla and Bashir Ahmad Sofi son of Haji Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din resident of Hamdani Colony, Drangbal, district Baramulla.
According to the spokesperson, the case pertains to profiteering and generation of funds through cross LoC trade between J&K and PoK and using those funds for promotion of militant activities in Jammu & Kashmir. Cross-LoC trade was launched in 2008 via two Trade Facilitation Centres (TFCs) located at Salamabad, Uri in Baramulla District and Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch District. As per the SOP of the trade mechanism put in place, 21 articles were allowed to be imported from PoK and exported from J&K. It was based on a barter system and no transaction of money was involved.After scrutinising several documents , it has come to notice that extra-ordinary profits were generated by excess import and under-invoicing of imported almonds by the traders. It has also been found that some of the cross LoC traders of PoK are crossed-over militants and were backed by militant outfit, Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen (HM).
The trade was suspended in April 2019, he said.Investigation revealed that accused persons Tanveer Ahmad Wani & Peer Arshad Iqbal were Cross-LoC traders and were handling several Cross LoC trade firms, registered in the names of themselves and their friends, relatives, employees etc. Both of them raised militant funds by excess import than the export and by under-invoicing of imported Almonds from PoK based cross LoC traders, he said.Investigation has established that both of the accused were also in a trading relationship with PoK based cross border Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen militants. After raising the terror funds, accused Tanveer Ahmad Wani had provided funds in cash to different militants of HM, JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammad) etc. Accused Peer Arshad Iqbal used to provide funds to accused Bashir Ahmad Sofi, an ex-militant of HM. Further investigations in the case are in progress, reads the statement.