Accused in hawala case, involving ex-J-K minister, held from IGI airport after deportation from UAE

Jammu and Kashmir's State Investigation Agency on Thursday arrested an accused from the Delhi airport following his deportation from the UAE in a case of hawala money recovery in which former minister Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh is an accused. The former Jammu and Kashmir minister, the main accused in a case related to the recovery of Hawala money meant for subversive activities, was arrested from Kathua district in April. Singh was at large since March 31 after the police busted a Hawala racket here and issued a lookout notice for him on April 6.

"Today, the State Investigation Agency arrested an accused, Farooq Ahmed Naikoo alias Farooq Tendulkar alias Umar Ghulam Hassan Naikoo, from the IGI Airport in Delhi soon after his landing," a senior SIA officer told PTI.

Naikoo's name has figured in various terror-financing transactions during an investigation into the case. Further probe about his role and involvement is being carried out by the State Investigation Agency, the officer said.


Mohammad Shareef Shah, a resident of south Kashmir's Kokernag, was arrested with the Hawala money on March 31 from the Gandhi Nagar area of Jammu and his questioning revealed that he was tasked by Singh, a resident of Kathua district, to collect the money from Srinagar.

Shah had also disclosed the names of his foreign associates, including Javed and Khatib of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and Farooq Khan of Toronto (Canada), officials said.

Singh was a minister in the PDP-Congress government in 2002-2005 and now is the chairman of the organisation 'Nature-Mankind Friendly Global Party'.