3 Hizbul ultras among six chargesheeted

Jammu, February 23

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) has filed a fourth supplementary chargesheet 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 chargesheet in a special court here, the number of accused in the case has gone up to 18.

The accused include 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 Jatinder Singh, former minister and chairman of the Nature-Mankind Friendly Party, who was subsequently arrested and chargesheeted along with 11 others.

The latest supplementary chargesheet 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 in Uri, Hathlanga, Baramulla and the transporting and selling of the contraband in Jammu to generate huge proceeds planned to be delivered to the overground 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. The SIA has seized Rs 10 lakh and freezed over Rs 70 lakh in bank accounts which were the proceeds from narcotics smuggled from across the border, he added.