Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Nov 4: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached the house of Hurriyat Conference leader Shabir Ahmad Shah under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ED has provisionally attached an immovable property situated at Botshah Colony, Sanat Nagar, Srinagar in the name of Shabir Ahmad Shah son of Gulam Mohammad Shah under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
An official said that the ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of a FIR dated 30.05.2017 against Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and others under various Sections of IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
“During the course of investigation, it was revealed that Shabir Ahmad Shah was actively involved in the activities of fuelling unrest in Kashmir valley by way of stone pelting, processions, protests, bandhs, hartals and other subversive activities,” he added.
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He said that investigation under PMLA revealed that Shabir Ahmad Shah was involved in receiving funds from Hizbul Mujahideen and other militant outfits based in Pakistan.
The official also said that during the course of investigation, an immovable property worth Rs. 21.80 lakhs owned by Shabir Ahmad Shah was identified and the same has been provisionally attached under PMLA.
In September 2017, the ED, had charge-sheeted Shah in a militancy funding case and three years later, a supplementary charge sheet was filed against his wife, Dr Bilquies Shah.
The agency alleged that she was also involved in money laundering. It had earlier attached the alleged proceeds of crime in the form of a property located at Effandi Bagh in Srinagar, held in her name and that of her daughters.
According to ED, he has been involved in carrying out illicit activities along with his accomplice Mohammed Aslam Wani, who is an activist of Jaish-e-Mohammed. “He was using Aslam Wani as a courier for collecting ‘hawala’ money sent by his Pakistan-based sympathisers to deliver the same in Srinagar,” the ED said.
Investigation also revealed that he was in touch with Hafiz Saeed, chief of banned outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa based in Pakistan. He had been receiving money for carrying out separatist activities in J&K and has acquired various properties through a maze of dubious transactions,” the agency alleged.
The attached property was shown to have been gifted to his wife and daughters by his sisters-in-law in 2005, which was purchased in their name by his father-in-law in 1999. “However, in spite of repeated opportunities given to his father-in-law and sisters-in-law, they have failed to justify the sources of fund to acquire the said property. Investigation has also revealed that Shah is the de-facto owner of the said property purchased vide unexplained source of fund by his father-in-law,” the ED said.
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