Jammu and Kashmir's State Investigation Agency on Saturday conducted raids in Poonch looking for militants suspected of funding terror activities, after police recently arrested two people in a joint operation with their Delhi counterparts. The arrested have been identified as Mohammad Yaseen from New Delhi’s Turkmen Gate area and Abdul Hameed Mir from Poonch. According to police, Yaseen was an important link in a terror network routing hawala funds from South Africa to different parts of India. The money was allegedly being collected by operatives in Surat and Mumbai with help from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al Badr militant outfits. These revelations came after the arrest on Thursday evening of Mir, who had just reached the Jammu bus stand from Delhi. Mir, an alleged terror operative, reportedly got money from Yaseen, a garment trader at Delhi’s Meena Bazar, on Wednesday. During questioning, Mir disclosed Yaseen's name and said the money was meant for funding terror activities in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, police sources said. Police registered a case against the duo under the UAPA. Yaseen was arrested by Delhi Police from Meena Bazar on Friday. The sources said that Rs 24 lakh had come to India through the hawala route from South Africa and that Yaseen transferred Rs 17 lakh of it to Mir. While police seized Rs 10 lakh from Mir at the Jammu bus stand, Rs 7 lakh was recovered from his house later, they added. The sources said there had been a spurt in attempts by militant handlers across the Line of Control to revive terror activities in Rajouri and Poonch. Police recently busted a terror module headed by self-styled Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, Talib Shah. Shah and half a dozen militants and their associates were arrested from Rajouri, Reasi and Ramban districts. A number of arms, ammunition and explosives were seized from them.
