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Terror Funding Case: Businessman Zahoor Watali arrested in Srinagar as investigation continues

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NIA Businessman Zahoor Watali

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Watali played a key role in the routing of funds to the separatists in Kashmir

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali in connection with a terror funding case.

He will be produced before the Special NIA Judge at Patiala House Courts on August 18.

Watali, who has links with politicians and separatists like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested on charges of facilitating the funding of terrorists and militant groups in Kashmir. Documents reportedly seized from his possession revealed that Watali played a key role in the routing of funds to the separatists in Kashmir, according to the NIA.

The NIA has recovered incriminating documents during the searches carried out in various locations in Srinagar, Handwara, Kupwara and Baramulla allegedly pointing the role of Watali in transferring the money. Watali arrested after being questioned by NIA agents in New Delhi.  

A statement by NIA stated that the agency has unearthed highly incriminating material pertaining to receipt of funds by Zahoor Watali from foreign sources and its further distribution to the terrorists and separatists in Kashmir valley for anti-India activities.

The documents seized by the agency on June 3, 2017, from Watali’s residence in Srinagar have shown a huge amount of cash transactions in sale and purchase of property. The documents showed several financial transactions related to terror funding and land deals.

The NIA said in a statement that Zahoor Watali is suspected of acting as a conduit for illegally remitting funds to the secessionists, terrorists, and stone-pelters. He was earlier arrested in 1990 by the J&K police, when some anti-national activists were found present in his house at Bagat Barzulla, Srinagar. Along with Yaseen Malik, Sajjad Gani Lone, Bilal Lone, and others, Watali was jailed for eight months at Jammu.

The NIA recalled another case, in which Watali was accused of illegal encroachment of a land and assault, and a case was registered against him at Parimpora police station in Srinagar under sections for Prevention of Corruption Act and other IPC sections.

“Watali was also accused of travelling on a canceled passport despite having full knowledge of its being invalid. Instead of surrendering the canceled passport to the authorities, he travelled abroad on canceled passport on March 21, 2016 in violation of the law when he tried to do so, his invalid passport was seized at Delhi by the authorities,” the NIA said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Rajasthan election results: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore says BJP will form government with vast number of seats

Rajyavardhan Rathore said the party leadership will announce who will be the chief minister after the results have been declared. He said everything comes at the right time.

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Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said he was confident the BJP will win with huge majority in Rajasthan ahead of counting of votes in Rajasthan. He said the fight today is between the massive governance of Prime minister Narendra Modi and the misgovernance of the Congress party.

The Congress party will try to return to power again. The BJP’s election campaign will be focused on an anti incumbency wave in the state. Rathore said the fact that people of the state had come out in large numbers to vote meant that they wanted to bring a change. According to exit polls the BJP have a slight edge over the ruling Congress party in Rajasthan. He said there won’t be a close contest and the BJP will win the elections with a vast majority.

Rajyavardhan Rathore said the party leadership will announce who will be the chief minister after the results have been declared. He said everything comes at the right time. He said once the results are out the party leadership will take the decision at the right time.

The campaign has been intense on both sides. The BJP had pulled all stops in line with an established election template as senior ministers had been deployed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress had followed a grassroots campaign with frequent appearances by its central leaders.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot said he was confident that he had beaten the jinx on the fortunes of the party in power. The BJP rode high on the trend and the power of brand Modi. Eight of the nine exit polls gave the BJP a comfortable, if not a strong victory. The aggregrate indicated that the BJP may get 104 seats and Congress 86. But like the difference in the price of cooking gas they are offering- The Congress party – Rs 500 and the BJP’s Rs 450: the gap is marginal.

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ED raids Punjab Congress leaders Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Sangat Singh Giljian in forest scam linked money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate asserted that during the search operations, various incriminating documents, mobile phones/digital devices have been seized

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The Enforcement Directorate recently conducted raids against two former Punjab forest ministers and Congress leaders Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Sangat Singh Giljian and others in relation to an alleged forest-scam linked money laundering investigation.  

Issuing a statement on Friday, the Enforcement Directorate said that its investigation pertains to charges of bribery in the state forest department against the issuance of a permit for tree felling and for transfer and posting in the department, among some other allegations. 

The ED raids were carried out on November 30 in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi at the residential premises of Dharamsot, Giljian, their associates, forest officers and some private individuals. The agency reportedly searched fourteen locations under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, has been a five-time MLA and he was arrested earlier this year by the Punjab Vigilance bureau as part of a case linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets. In his three-year tenure as forest minister, Dharamsot collected ₹1 crore in lieu of issuance of permits for cutting khair trees through his OSD. Sangat Singh Giljian has been an MLA from the Urmar seat in Hoshiarpur district.

The Enforcement Directorate said that the money laundering case was filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and stems from an FIR of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.

The nodal agency mentioned that the first information report pertains to alleged irregularities in the forest department and allegations of taking bribes by the concerned ministers and officers of the department against the issuance of permits for felling of Khair trees, transfer/posting in the department, issuance of NOC from the department and purchase of tree guards.

In addition, the Enforcement Directorate asserted that during the search operations, various incriminating documents, mobile phones/digital devices have been seized which, prima facie, reveal suspicious transactions involving persons who are under investigation. 

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Jharkhand government puts hospitals on alert amid respiratory infection outbreak in China

The district administration are also asked to assess the availability of oxygen and the supply chain for refilling along with other necessary equipment.

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Amid a respiratory infection outbreak in China, the Jharkhand government has put its hospitals on alert, directing them for surveillance, preventive measures and testing of respiratory illness. The additional chief secretary of health Arun Kumar Singh directed the district administrations to remain prepared and keep a continuous vigil on the situation.  

In a letter to the district magistrate, Arun Kumar Singh stated that in view of the recently reported surge in respiratory illness, particularly in children in Northern China, in the recent weeks, there is an urgent need to keep a constant vigil, monitor trends of cases and quickly respond to any emerging public health. He added that considering the ongoing influenza, there might be an increase in respiratory illness cases.

He mentioned that this is predominantly attributed to usual causes like Influenza strain (H1N1/H3N2/H5N1/H9N2 etc.), mycoplasma pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2, etc. He further remarked that in order to reduce the incidence of respiratory diseases along with the current scenario of unusual causes of respiratory diseases in children or any unexpected clinical manifestations, there is a need to increase the surveillance and remain vigilant and to monitor the continuously changing nature of the virus, including respiratory pathogen (H1N1, H3N2 etc) and evolution of SARS CoV-2 variants.

The additional chief secretary of health further directed the officials to strengthen the flu and respiratory clinics in the medical colleges, district hospitals, and health centres. He asserted that the departments of microbiology at RIMS-Ranchi and Mahatma Gandhi Medical College in Jamshedpur have been made sentinel sites for sending the suspected samples.    

Reportedly, the district administrations have also been asked to ascertain that the health facilities, including private hospitals, report all suspected cases. In addition, they were also asked to assess the availability of oxygen and the supply chain for refilling along with other necessary equipment. The district administrations were also asked to ensure mock drills for emergency circumstances, as per the officials.

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