The National Investigation Agency has recently revealed that the Khulafa-e-Rashideen mosque in the Uttawar village of Palwal, Haryana has been built with funds received from terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. Reports state that the investigating agency has visited the mosque earlier this month.
According to reports, a team of NIA officials had visited the mosque in Uttawar village in Haryana on October 3. NIA had searched the documents and bank account details related to the mosque. The team had reportedly confiscated the fund registers and several financial documents in the mosque.
The mosque in the Uttawar village had come under the radar after the NIA had arrested three Individuals named Mohammad Salman, Mohammad Salim, and Sajjad Abdul Wani last month. The investigating agency had raided 3 locations in Delhi related to the 3 men and had recovered Rs 1.56 crores in cash, 43,000 in Nepali currency and several other items. NIA had revealed that the trio was linked to hawala operations and was receiving money from LeT run organization Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF).
Mohammad Salman, one of the persons arrested was reportedly an old hawala operative and is believed to have made trips to Dubai and meeting individuals linked with FIF. NIA had revealed that he has been involved in terror funding cases in Mewat area of Haryana. The third arrested person Sajjad Abdul Wani was a hawala courier from Srinagar. It is notable here that the NIA has been investigating terror funding cases in Kashmir too and has several high profile arrests in the valley including Syed Shahid Yusuf, the son of Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin. Salahuddin’s other son, Shakeel was also arrested by NIA in terror funding case in August this year.
Mohammad Salman is said to have received over Rs 70 lakhs to build the mosque from FIF. A report in the Indian Express has also quoted NIA sources stating that Salman also received money for the weddings of his daughters. While the land for the construction of the mosque was arranged by the local Muslims, the money for construction was given by Salman. During the investigation, Salman was found to be in regular touch with a Dubai based Pakistani national, who is a direct link to the deputy chief of FIF.
It is notable here that the FIF is a front organization run by Hafiz Sayeed led Lashkar-e-Taiba. FIF features in the list of terrorist organizations as per the entry 33 in the first schedule of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)with prevention and suppression of terrorism (Implementation of security council resolutions) order,2016.
In recent months, the NIA has been coming down hard on terror funding modules. In June 2017, it had raided 23 locations in Delhi, Srinagar, and Haryana. Several raids on Kashmiri separatist leaders have also been made in relation to funding being allegedly provided to stone pelters in the valley.