Aurangabad: The state anti-terrorism squad has found that the IS module in Parbhani got money through hawala from Mumbai to make necessary preparations to carry out alleged terror activities.
After the investigations revealed the hawala link, the ATS has started probing the hawala trail on a war footing. Sources said attempts are also being made to find out the number of transactions that took place over a period of time.
An officer said, "The exact amount of money that has changed hands is not clear. It may be anything from few thousands to a few lakhs. The probe so far has indicated transaction of money through Mumbai-based hawala agent."
"We are also trying to find if the arrested suspect was alone while travelling to Mumbai or he had an accomplice. We also want to know the number of visits he made to Mumbai in the last few months. A clear picture would emerge very soon," said the officer.
Sources privy to the investigation said arrested IS suspect Naser Bin Abu-Bakr Yafai (31) has started spilling beans about the source of money but still there is much more information that needs to be gathered to establish the hawala link.
The Maharashtra ATS arrested the 31-year-old diploma engineer from Parbhani district, around 185km from Aurangabad, for his alleged links with the Islamic State (IS). ATS officials said Naser was planning to visit either Iraq or Syria and join the terror group.
Officials said the other accused, Mohamed Shahed Ali Khan (24), also from Parbhani, is being questioned about the source of explosive material used for preparing the improvised explosive device recovered from his maternal uncle's house, where he had hid it without the knowledge of his family members.
Officials said the suspects are making startling revelations with each passing day. Some revelations by the accused duo have forced the ATS teams to camp in Parbhani for past couple of days. They are likely to report back to Aurangabad on Friday, when the accused duo would be produced before the court.
Start a Conversation
Post comment