National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kashmir based journalist identified as Irfan Mehraj from Srinagar in a terror funding case.

 

Official sources confirmed the arrest of Mehraj and said he has been arrested for investigation by NIA in case FIR no RC-37/2020 registered at NIA Delhi and he has been shifted to Delhi.

 

The case pertains to transfer of money to J&K by NGOs through hawala channels for terror activities in Kashmir valley.

 

They said “Credible information was received by the Central Government that certain NGOs, Trusts and Societies, registered as well as unregistered, are collecting funds domestically and abroad through donations, business contributions etc. in the name of charity and various welfare activities such as public health, education etc.

 

Some of these NGOs have links with proscribed terrorist organisations such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) etc. “Further, funds collected by such NGOs, Trusts and Societies are sent to J&K through various channels such as cash couriers, Hawala traders based in Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of India to sustain the secessionist and terrorist activities in Kashmir Valley, as a part of a larger criminal conspiracy hatched by these NGOs, Trusts and Societies etc., prejudicial to the unity, integrity, sovereignty and security of India,” they said.

 

They further said these NGOs, Trusts and Societies and their members, by words and written means, publish anti-national and incriminating material to bring into hatred, contempt and disaffection towards the Government of India.