PNS n New Delhi
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said it has arrested two accused in Jammu and Kashmir in the cross-LoC trade and terror funding case.
The agency arrested the two accused persons—Tanveer Ahmad Wani of Achagoza under Rajpora police station of Pulwama district and Peer Arshad Iqbal alias Ashu of Khwaja Bagh, Baramulla in the 2016 cases linked to terror funding via cross-LoC trade.
The case pertains to the generation of extra profits through cross-LoC (Line of Control) trade mechanism between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) and using those funds for fomenting terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the agency said in a statement.
The said trade was started in the year 2008 via two Trade Facilitation Centres (TFCs) located at Salamabad, Uri in Baramulla District and Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch District. As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the trade mechanism, 21 articles were allowed to be traded between POK and Jammu and Kashmir and were based on a barter system.
“During investigation, it has been revealed that extra profit was generated by over-invoicing of export articles and under-invoicing of import articles by the traders,” the NIA said.
The arrested accused are cross-border LoC traders and were handling several cross-LoC trade firms registered in their own names or in the names of their friends, family members and relatives.
They used to provide funds to the members of various terrorist organisations, over ground workers (OGWs) and stone-pelters. Further investigation in the case is continuing, it added.