J&K Probe Agency Uncovers LeT Terror Funding Network in Delhi

 Srinagar: In a significant breakthrough, the Counter Intelligence-Kashmir (CIK) unit of the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted targeted raids on a business in New Delhi's Lajpat Nagar area to what it said on Wednesday disrupt a complex cross-border terror funding network.

The operation, executed under FIR No. 02/2024 at CIK Srinagar and authorized by search warrants from a Special Judge under the NIA Act, is part of an ongoing investigation under UAPA Sections 13, 38, 39, 40, and IPC Section 120-B, a statement issued by the probe agency here said.

The CIK revealed a conspiracy led by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives across the Line of Control (LoC), collaborating with Pakistani nationals in Gulf countries and other foreign regions. "These actors funnelled terror funds into Kashmir through couriers posing as pilgrims, businessmen, and expatriates," it said.

The statement said one Muhammad Ayoub Bhat, a resident of Kashmir's central district of Budgam, operating ‘Shalimar Textiles’ in Lajpat Nagar, was identified as a key financial conduit for LeT’s activities in the Valley, working closely with Muhammad Rafiq Shah of SDA Colony Bemina (Srinagar).

The raids, supported by Delhi Police, uncovered critical digital evidence, including suspicious communications with Pakistani handlers, hawala-based foreign remittances, and encrypted chats with terror affiliates, the CIK said. It added that the seized devices and documents are under forensic analysis, expected to expose a broader funding network.

It further stated that initial interrogations of the arrested individuals have begun, revealing details of an international terror financing ring involving foreign handlers, Gulf-based sympathisers, and local Over Ground Workers (OWGs), all linked to a covert cash pipeline fueling unrest in J&K.