New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) Friday produced Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali before the Special NIA Judge at Patiala House courts which remanded him to police custody for 10 days.
Watali was arrested yesterday from J&K in connection with funding of separatist activities in the Kashmir Valley. NIA arrested Zahoor Watali after a series of searches conducted on different parts in Srinagar, Handwara, Kupwara and Baramulla belonging to the relatives and employees of Zahoor Watali.
Earlier, on June 3, the Agency had searched Zahoor Watali’s house in Srinagar and seized incriminating documents pertaining to several financial transactions and land deals. The property documents seized have shown huge amount of cash transactions in sale & purchase.
The NIA officials further said that Zahoor Watali, suspected of acting as a conduit for illegally remitting funds to the secessionists, militants and stone-pelters, was earlier arrested in the year 1990 by the Jammu & Kashmir Police, when some anti-national activists were found present in his house at Bagat Barzulla, Srinagar.
He was taken into custody along with Yaseen Malik, Sajjad Gani Lone, Bilal Lone and others and was jailed for eight months at Jammu, the official added.
In the year 2009, Zahoor Watali was accused of illegal encroachment of land and assault, and a case was registered against him at PS Parimpora, Srinagar under different sections of IPC. However, as per the orders of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir on June 22, 2016, the investigation of the case has been stayed, said the NIA official.
He was also accused of travelling on a cancelled/invalid passport despite having full knowledge of it. Instead of surrendering the cancelled passport to the authorities, he travelled abroad on cancelled/invalid passport on March 21, 2016 in violation of the law and again when he tried to do so, his invalid passport was seized at Delhi by the authorities.
The NIA is further questioning Zahoor Watali regarding the incriminating financial transaction details and property-related records seized during the searches.
