Hawala: Geelani aide among five sent to joint interrogation centre

A close aide of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and his four associates, who were arrested for carrying Rs 50 lakh hawala money, have been sent to a joint interrogation centre here.

G M Bhat, his son Anwar, Jamali Khan of Deoband, his wife Sheema Khan and Danish, an employee of Bombay Mercantile Bank’s Ajmer branch, are to be interrogated in connection with the hawala racket. Teams have been sent to Delhi and Mumbai to trace the network of the hawala money being channelled to Jammu and Kashmir for funding militancy in the state.

The police had seized hawala money from the CNG cylinder of a vehicle on November 4. The police seized Rs 46 lakh from the accused.

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The case also reportedly involves a carpet dealer. The police were also investigating whether the money was meant for Tehreek-e-Hurriyat led by separatist leader Geelani.

Bhat was earlier arrested by the police from Srinagar and the money is believed to have been handed over to Bhat by the carpet dealer, who has business establishments at Delhi, Kashmir and abroad.