SRINAGAR: Investigations into the suspicious bank transaction case registered in Kathua district under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have expanded to Uttarakhand, with police questioning a woman from Haridwar who allegedly admitted to routing nearly Rs 20 lakh through multiple bank accounts on the instructions of another person, according to reports published by Daily Excelsior.
The case surfaced after intelligence inputs reportedly flagged suspicious financial transactions totalling nearly Rs 1 crore in accounts linked to a couple from Kathua district. Following the inputs, Lakhanpur Police on May 23 arrested Rahul Khan and his wife Sapna, residents presently living in the Janglote area of Kathua, and initiated investigations into possible hawala or terror-funding links.
According to the report, the investigation subsequently led police to Haridwar in Uttarakhand, where a 26-year-old woman, identified as Sonam, was detained and questioned jointly by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the local police.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar, Navneet Singh Bhullar, while speaking to a news channel, confirmed the woman’s detention and said preliminary questioning revealed that she had allegedly transferred around Rs 20 lakh into different bank accounts as directed by a person identified as Umar.
Police said the woman allegedly disclosed that she received nearly Rs 2 lakh as commission for facilitating the transactions.
The SSP said preliminary investigations had revealed that money was routed through nearly 25 accounts, and the larger investigation was being conducted by Lakhanpur Police in Kathua district.
According to the report, police are examining whether the accounts were being directly operated by the account holders or by other persons linked to the network. Investigators are also scrutinising bank records, mobile phones, social media activity and digital transactions to establish the flow of funds and identify possible links.
Sources quoted in the report said Sonam came into contact with the alleged network while searching for employment opportunities online and was introduced to some of the persons involved through a friend identified as Pooja.
Police have registered a case against her under Sections 17, 19 and 39 of the UAPA, dealing with raising funds for terrorist acts, harbouring and support-related offences under the anti-terror law.
The report further said Jammu and Kashmir Police, assisted by local police in Uttarakhand, are continuing investigations to establish whether the transactions were part of a larger terror-funding or hawala network operating across states.
Rahul Khan and his wife Sapna, who were first detained in the case, are reported to be originally from the Sujwan area of Rajbagh in Kathua district and had been living in rented accommodation in Kathua town for several years. Rahul Khan is stated to be working as a driver.
Police investigations in the case are continuing.
