Cryptic Communications | SIA raids in south Kashmir unveil tech-savvy terror funding tactics

Srinagar, Dec 13: State Investigation Agency (SIA), the anti-terror arm of J&K Police on Wednesday carried out raids at five locations in two south Kashmir districts in a terror funding case.

The raids by SIA Kashmir were conducted at five locations in two districts of Anantnag and Kulgam in connection with an ongoing investigation of a terror funding case FIR 311/2023 of Police Station Anantnag registered on November 19, 2023, under Sections 13, 17, 18, 20, 38, and 40 of the UA(P)A

120 B, 121 A, 121 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and transferred to the SIA Kashmir on November 23, 2023.

“Zaffar Hussain Bhat alias Khursheed and Khursheed Kashmiri, son of Sunnallah of Liver, Pahalgam, Sirgufwara, Anantnag, is a close associate of Ghulam Nabi Khan alias Amir Khan, Deputy Chief of Hizbul Mujahideen and both are notorious designated individual terrorists under the UAPA, declared proclaimed offenders and

having Red Notices of Interpol issued against them in several terror funding cases of the NIA including the famous Jammu Kashmir Affectees Relief Trust (JKART) case,” the SIA officials said.

They said Khursheed Kashmiri was also wanted in the Sanjay Sharma murder case of the SIA for his role in arranging and delivering the weapon of offence and also other arms and ammunition consignments at different locations in J&K through his network of associates.

“Hizb-ul-Mujahideen with active connivance of Muhammad Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahudeen, chief of Hizb and the United Jehad Council (UJC) and handlers of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba, proscribed terrorist organisations in India, have worked out a detailed terror-funding plan of systematically and regularly financing of their active, arrested terrorists, families of killed terrorists and their associates,

belonging to these proscribed terrorist organizations at Rs 15,000 per member to sustain terrorism in J&K,” the SIA officials said.

They said that Zaffar Hussain Bhat alias Khursheed Kashmiri with his associates spread across Kashmir are raising, collecting, receiving, transporting, distributing, and delivering the terror money to active and arrested terrorists of Hizb and their kith and kin to further terrorist, unlawful, subversive, and secessionist activities in J&K and other places of India and also to disturb communal harmony, spread disaffection towards India, and challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country by waging war against India.

The SIA officials said Bhat uses VoIP-based encrypted messaging applications to communicate with his associates to plan, control, and execute their movements and also to share the lists of the beneficiaries of these terror funds.

They said during Wednesday’s searches, some crucial digital and documentary evidence like cellphones, pen drives, SIM cards, data cards, bank documents, and passports relevant to the ongoing investigation were recovered and seized.

“On November 19, 2023, a close associate of Khursheed Kashmiri namely Majid Aziz Lawey, son of Abdul Aziz Laway of Liddermatto was arrested with terror fund to the tune of Rs 5 lakh in this case,” the SIA officials said.