Five arrested in Satna in alleged terror-funding case linked to Pakistan

The Satna crime branch has arrested five persons from the district for their alleged involvement in a terror-funding case linked to Pakistan. The Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has also reached Satna to further probe the case.

Police sources said that the five, including Balram Singh and Bhagvendra Singh, who had been arrested by ATS two years ago as well, were picked up from different locations in Satna late on Wednesday night by the local crime branch.

Two other accused were identified as Shubham Tiwari and Sunil Singh, while the fifth accused remained unidentified.

At least 13 Pakistan SIM cards, laptops and cell phones with several numbers of the neighbouring country were recovered from the accused, sources said.

Satna superintendent of police Riyaz Iqbal confirmed detention of five persons to local media, but did not reveal their identity. The SP did not respond to queries of THE WEEK in this regard, till filing of this report.

The accused were in constant touch with certain elements in Pakistan through social media. They would get money from these sources using local bank accounts and transferred them to terror elements in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand through other bank accounts and hawala links.

Of the accused, Balram Singh had been arrested by the Bhopal ATS in February 2017 from Kolgawan area in the district in connection with the terror-funding charges with 12 others from different MP cities.

About 60 SIM cards, several illegal telephone exchanges and mobile phones in large numbers were recovered from them. But he was out on bail.

Around seven months ago, Balram was again arrested by police in connection with a loot case and was also granted bail.

Another accused Bhagvendra Singh had been earlier arrested by Indore ATS, sources added.