Jammu, May 31: In a major crackdown on suspected terror financing and hawala transactions, security agencies have uncovered a large financial network operating through multiple bank accounts in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. Investigators have so far traced nearly Rs 1 crore in suspicious transactions, with at least 25 bank accounts allegedly used to move funds across the network.
The investigation began on May 23, when Lakhanpur Police detained Rahul Khan and his wife Sapna, residents of the Janglote area in Kathua. During scrutiny of their financial records, authorities detected suspicious transactions amounting to nearly Rs 1 crore, prompting a deeper probe into possible terror funding links.
Acting on information gathered during interrogation, Jammu and Kashmir Police expanded the investigation beyond the Union Territory and carried out raids in Uttarakhand. With assistance from local police in Haridwar, officials detained a woman identified as Sonam, whose role in the network had come under investigation.
According to agencies, Sonam allegedly admitted during questioning that nearly Rs 20 lakh had been routed through her bank account to multiple beneficiaries. In return, she reportedly received around Rs 2 lakh as commission. Preliminary findings suggest she came into contact with the network while searching for online job opportunities.
Investigators are now conducting forensic analysis of mobile phones, banking records, social media activity and other digital evidence to uncover the full extent of the operation.
Sources indicate that agencies are also examining possible international links, including connections to Dubai, Nepal and other foreign locations. Investigators suspect that funds may have been transferred into India through hawala channels and so-called “mule accounts,” then distributed across multiple accounts to conceal their origin.
Security officials say that with intensified anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, terror networks are increasingly shifting from traditional cash-based hawala systems to digital transactions and layered banking channels. Investigators describe this emerging pattern as a form of “digital hawala,” designed to complicate financial tracking.
Officials are now working to determine whether the case is limited to illegal financial routing or whether it is connected to a larger terror module and handlers operating across the border.
Security agencies believe more significant revelations could emerge as the investigation progresses.–(TimesNow)
