ED arrests Kashmiri separatist Shabir Shah

Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday night in connection with a decade-old money laundering case against him for alleged terror financing.

Shah, a hardliner of J&K, was arrested after a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued by the ED when he failed to appear before it despite several summons.

Official sources told The Sunday Guardian that a team of local police arrested Shah from his Sanant Nagar house in Srinagar last night.

Conforming his arrest and transit to Delhi, a senior ED official said “Shah was arrested in Srinagar and is expected to be brought to Delhi today where he will be produced in a court.”

“The ED will seek Shah’s remand at earliest to carry on its further course of investigation,” same official cited above said.

The agency had issued several summons to Shah over the last few years in pursuance of the August 2005 case, wherein the Delhi Police’s Special Cell had arrested Mohammed Aslam Wani (35), an alleged hawala dealer, who had claimed that he passed on Rs 2.25 crore to Shah. Later the ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Shah and Wani.

“The Enforcement Directorate had issued multiple summons to Shah, but he never deposed before the agency, following this a Delhi court had earlier this month issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the separatist and now the warrant has been executed,” a senior official told The Sunday Guardian.

The crackdown on separatist leader has started after the revelation of alleged hawala funding to terror outfits in the valley. According to the ED officials, more action on similar funding networks are under its scanner. The agency will fix the increasing hawala funding in the valley.

The arrest of Shah came a day after seven separatist leaders, including son-in-law of Geelani and spokespersons of both the factions of HC, were arrested in connection with terror funding from Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).