Hizb chief’s son sent to seven-day NIA custody

New Delhi, October 25

A Delhi court today sent Syed Shahid Yousuf, son of Hizbul Mujahideen chief and globally wanted terrorist Syed Salahuddin, to seven-day NIA custody in a 2011 terror funding case.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its plea seeking custodial interrogation of Yousuf, said it needed to unravel the entire criminal conspiracy and establish his link with the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist organisation.

Yousuf, arrested yesterday by the NIA, was produced before District and Sessions Judge Poonam A Bamba, who granted the NIA his custody till November 1.

“Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case and submissions made in the application, to enable the NIA to unearth the criminal conspiracy and link of the accused with prescribed terrorist organisation of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Syed Shahid Yousuf is remanded in police custody till November 1,” the judge said.

In its application, the NIA submitted that the case was registered on the basis of information regarding funds from Pakistan being sent to J&K through hawala channels via Delhi for funding terrorism.

The counsel for Yousuf, however, opposed the application and claimed he was falsely implicated in the case.

The agency submitted that certain telephone calls were intercepted which revealed that a member of the Pakistan-based banned Hizb was sending a huge amount of funds to secessionists and terrorists of J&K through Delhi.

In 2011, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat and other accused were arrested with Rs 21.20 lakh, the NIA said, adding that Yousuf was “one of the several Indian contacts of Bhat” who had been in telephonic contact with him for receiving money transfer codes.

It was submitted by the agency that Yousuf’s involvement was found in collecting funds from a terrorist outfit in Saudi Arabia as well as from other accused on the directions of his father Mohammad Yousuf Shah, alias Syed Salahuddin.

Syed Salahuddin was declared a specially designated global terrorist by the US in June this year.

The NIA has claimed that so far Yousuf has received nearly Rs 4.5 lakh through eight international wire transfers.

The agency has filed two charge sheets against six people, including Bhat, a close aide of separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mohammed Siddiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga. — PTI