Kashmiri separatists Shabir Shah, Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam Bhat were arrested on Tuesday in connection with a terror funding case and produced before a Delhi court which allowed NIA their 10-day custodial interrogation.
The case relates to alleged terror funding in the Valley and involves Jama’at-ud-Da’wah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind based in Pakistan.
The National Investigation Agency arrested the trio during in-chamber proceedings before Special Judge Rakesh Syal and sought 15-day custodial interrogation, advocate M.S. Khan, appearing for the accused, told PTI.
Shah and Andrabi were already in custody in separate cases, while Alam was brought from Jammu and Kashmir on transit remand where he was lodged in jail for alleged terror activities.
Both Shah and Andrabi were produced before the court from jail in pursuance of the production warrants issued earlier.
Meanwhile the arrest of Shah and Bhat, on Tuesday in New Delhi evoked sharp reaction from the Hurriyat.
“The shifting of Mr. Bhat to the Tihar Jail by the NIA on Tuesday reflects arrogance of power. He has been behind bars continuously for the last nine years and his detention was quashed 37 times by the court. It seems those raising their voice for their fundamental rights peacefully within the contours of the law are made to rot in jails and interrogation centres,” said Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Geelani.
