A Prosecution Complaint (PC) was submitted by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Srinagar Zonal Office on April 4, 2024, in accordance with the guidelines of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The accused parties are Muhammad Akbar Bhat, Mrs. Fatima Shah, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, Qazi Yasir, Mohammad Abdullah Shah, Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh, Manzoor Ahmad Shah, Mohammad Iqbal Mir, and Syed Khalid Geelani, also known as Khalid Andrabi. The complaint was filed against these individuals before the Honourable Special Court (PMLA), Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
On April 18, 2024, the court took cognizance of the PC and issued notifications to all the accused, with the exception of Qazi Yasir, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, and Manzoor Ahmad Shah, who now have non-bailable warrants issued against them.
Based on a charge sheet submitted by the Jammu & Kashmir Police, which included offences under many sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the ED began its probe. According to the probe, the accused were working with certain educational consultancies to set up admissions for residents of Jammu and Kashmir into MBBS programmes at different Pakistani universities, charging between Rs. 10-15 lakh for each student.
It was also found that the accused got the money either directly from Al-Jabar Trust or via their personal bank accounts, which served as a front for the collection of these cash pretending to be donations.
Subsequent inquiries revealed that the money obtained by the Al-Jabar Trust was eventually utilised to support terrorist operations in India. This includes, on the orders of handlers headquartered in Pakistan, giving money to stone-pelters and other terrorist acts in Jammu & Kashmir. Furthermore, it came to light that Mohammad Abdullah Shah had utilised the money from the sale of Manzoor Ahmad Shah’s property—who is presently residing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)—to finance terrorist actions and stone-throwing.
In a previous instance, the ED had detained Mohammad Akbar Bhat, Mohammad Abdullah Shah, Fatima Shah, and Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh in addition to attaching movable and immovable goods worth about Rs. 5 crore. At now, the four detained suspects are being held in judicial custody. The inquiry is still on.
