ED arrests 3rd accused in funding of narco-terrorism

Jammu, Sep 10: In a major crackdown on breaking the economic ecosystem of narco-terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jammu Office, has arrested an accused Laddi Ram.

According to an ED spokesman, the arrest was made on September 9, 2024, in connection with a case involving narco-terrorism, linked to funding of the subversive activities of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).

“The Court of Principal District and Sessions Judge (Designated PMLA Court), Jammu granted ED his custody for four days. This is the third arrest by ED in the case, following the earlier arrest of criminal masterminds - Arshad Ahmed Allaie and Fayaz Ahmed Dar, in the case,” the spokesman said.

ED initiated an investigation on the basis of FIR and charge sheets filed by J&K Police against accused Arshad Ahmed Allie, Fayaz Ahmed Dar Laddi Ram and other involved accused persons under the sections of NDPS Act, 1985 and UA(P) Act, 1967. They were involved in operating a narco-terrorism module, busted by the police authorities in 2019, leading to the seizure and identification of drugs and illicit cash.

Accused Altaf Hafiz, a religious teacher, acted in the smuggling of heroin into India as per directions from Pakistan-based handlers. Accused Arshad Ahmed Allie, assisted by accused Fayaz Ahmed Dar,  taking up heroin from Altaf Hafiz,  and utilizing his business, M/s New Style Car Bazaar, Bijbahera, Anantnag as a front, was responsible for the distribution of the drugs to accused Laddi Ram and receiving funds against the same.

Accused Laddi Ram sold the drugs in J&K and Punjab and remitted the proceeds to Arshad. Arshad provided funds to accused Latief Dar and Shafi Bhat, former militants of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), who distributed the same towards terrorist activities. All these accused persons were acting on the directions of Pakistan-based accused persons acting as financiers and handlers of HM for anti-India activities, the spokesman said.

ED investigation, into the forward and backward linkages of the financial transactions, unearthed a network of collusion of drug smuggling and terrorism. Laddi Ram as the instrumental person in the narco-terror linkage, received the cross-border smuggled drugs from Arshad Ahmed Allaie, distributed and sold the same in Punjab and J&K and remitted the illicit funds, in the form of proceeds of crime in the form of cash and via banking transactions, to Arshad Ahmed Allaie. Having received such proceeds of crime, Arshad Ahmed Allaie, routed the same into the hands of terrorists linked to HM for the sole purpose of subversive activities.

The transaction profiling of the bank accounts in the case revealed huge cash deposits, running into crores, obtained via drug sales, routed through multiple suspected interconnected transactions, disguising the actual source and nature of funds.

“The investigation into this case remains ongoing as the Directorate of Enforcement continues to pursue leads and gather evidence,” the spokesman said.