3 arrested, 2 detained in MP for alleged terror funding

Madhya Pradesh Police have arrested three persons and detained two others in connection with an alleged terror funding racket, an official said on Thursday.

The accused made several calls to foreign countries and had a number of transactions using different bank accounts, Superintendent of Police Riyaz Iqbal told PTI.

"Three persons, Balram Singh, Sunil Singh and Shubham Tiwari, were arrested and two others detained on Wednesday night in this connection," he said.

The official did not reveal the names of those detained.

All five have been handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for further probe, he said.

"The accused were making calls to foreign countries. They were also using various social networking sites and applications for communication. Besides, they made several transactions using different bank accounts," he said.

They were also having links in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, he said, adding that the ATS would further investigate the case.

Balram Singh and one of those detained were earlier also arrested by the ATS in February 2017 in connection with an espionage racket and terror funding, Iqbal said.

According to sources, Balram Singh was currently out on bail.

In February 2017, 11 people, including Balram Singh and one of those detained on Wednesday, were arrested by the ATS for their alleged links to an espionage racket being run from Pakistan to collect strategic information.

An official then said money was frequently deposited through 'hawala' transactions in the accounts of Balram Singh with fictitious names by overseas handlers, who held communication with the accused in a hush-hush manner.

The handlers used to talk to these accused using different modern secretive techniques of communication to hide identities, he said.