Nuh lawyer 'funded' Khalistani operatives; raids on in Punjab

The Nuh lawyer, Rizwan Ali, who was nabbed last week for alleged links with Pakistani terror outfits, was passing on funds to create unrest in Punjab. The startling revelation was made during investigation of three of his bank accounts. The investigation revealed that Ali was getting funds online from Pakistan, which he would withdraw and send to Punjab through ‘human couriers’.

Raids are underway in Jalandhar, Amritsar and other parts of Punjab as Haryana Police teams are searching for cash, digital evidence and other members of the network.

Investigators revealed that the money was sent to a Jalandhar-based businessman for allegedly funding Khalistani operatives and arms suppliers across Punjab. The police has arrested the businessman and are probing his bank documents, mobile phones and transaction records.

Ali reportedly admitted that he would withdraw the money as soon as it was deposited and got it delivered in cash so that there was no digital trail of the transactions. So far, the investigators have traced transactions between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 1 crore. They suspect the actual amount to be much higher.

The investigators said Pakistani agents first contacted Ali during his frequent visits to the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi for visa-related work. They allegedly used visa agents and local contacts to approach him. Handlers later lured him with commissions and financial help.

The handlers first asked Ali for small favours in exchange for money. Later, they assigned him regular duties involving fund transfers and cash deliveries. Ali ultimately worked as a full-time link in the funding chain. According to the investigators, the handlers controlled him through fixed meet-ups, location-based instructions and a steady flow of money.

The police claimed that Ali travelled to Pakistan and met his handlers, though his family has denied that he ever visited the country.

Officials said the case indicated how Pakistan routed terror funding through professionals, such as lawyers, doctors and businessmen.

The investigators are now tracking the entire chain—from Pakistan to Gurugram to Punjab—to identify handlers, receivers and end-users of the funds.