J&K cops crack LeT terror funding module, arrest five

JAMMU: J&K Police cracked a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror funding module after last month’s arrest of a BSc nursing student, Mubashir Farooq Batt of Doda, at Kharar near Chandigarh with Rs 1.5 lakh on July 19.
Based on information gathered during Farooq’s interrogation, cops arrested five of his associates in Doda — Toqeer Ahmad Batt, a cleric at Masjid Shimal in Doda; surrendered terrorist Asif Batt, who also was a former SPO in J&K Police; Khalid Latief Batt, a contractor; Gazi Iqbal, an employee of a Jammu chicken shop; and Tariq Hussain, who runs a grocery store.
All arrested accused have admitted their involvement in the case, claimed Jammu IGP Mukesh Singh. The six men were in contact with former district commander of LeT in Doda, Mohd Amin Batt, who fled to Pakistan in 2007. The module, which had received Rs 12 lakh on different occasions, had to identify youth for recruitment, provide support and strengthen LeT cadre in the region, share information about security forces and their location, transport of arms and ammunition besides distributing money among families of active and deceased terrorists, the IGP said.
The module had recruited two terrorists in Doda for LeT — one of them was killed and the other had surrendered. One of the accused also revealed that they had hoisted the Pakistani flag at Lal Draman after receiving orders from their Pakistani handler.
Sleuths have also obtained details about the involvement of four more accused, who belong to Kashmir, in the case. The module is also suspected of having links in other parts of the country, the IGP said. The investigation in the case is continuing in order to reveal all terror financing channels and networks of overground workers used to spread terror in J&K, Singh added.