With the filing of the fresh charge sheet in a special court here, the number of accused in the case has gone up to 18

The State Investigation Agency has filed a fourth supplementary charge sheet against six accused, including three Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, in a case relating to terror funding, an official said on Friday.

With the filing of the fresh charge sheet in a special court here, the number of accused in the case has gone up to 18. The accused includes policeman Saif Din who was arrested in December last year.

The cross-border terror syndicate was busted by the SIA in April 2022 following its investigation into a hawala case involving former minister and chairman of Nature-Mankind Friendly Party Jatinder Singh who was subsequently arrested and chargesheeted along with 11 others.

The latest supplementary charge sheet under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Narcotic Drug Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Indian Penal Code was filed against Din, Mohd Sharief Chechi and Farooq Ahmad Jungal besides Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Hamidullah Khuroo, Farooq Ahmad Shawl and Javed Ahmad Chalkoo, the official said.

Chechi and Jungal were arrested by the SIA in August and December last year.

The official said the accused were involved in smuggling heroin from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir into Uri, Hathlanga, Baramulla and the transporting and selling of the contraband in Jammu to generate huge proceeds planned to be delivered to the Over Ground Workers of Hizbul Mujahideen, a proscribed terrorist organisation.

The same was deposited in banking channels for further distribution to fuel anti-national activities and other terrorist acts to challenge the sovereignty, integrity and security of India, the official said.

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 23rdd Feb , 2024