The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) is scrutinizing over 500 bank accounts labeled as 'suspicious' in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Delhi. This investigation is part of a probe into foreign funds received by a Delhi-based NGO under the guise of social welfare donations. Senior police officials are actively involved in the examination of these accounts.

Authorities are investigating the Sun Shine Health and Social Welfare Trust for alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). The NGO is suspected of diverting funds through over 500 suspicious bank accounts, registered in the names of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) is examining these accounts, suspecting that the funds may have been used for anti-national activities and terror funding, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) discovered information about the suspicious bank accounts following the arrest of Mohammed Abdul Awwal, a 37-year-old from Assam, in New Delhi. Awwal, who was a student at Nadwa in Lucknow until 2017, allegedly opened these accounts in 2020, taking advantage of relaxed banking norms during the Covid period.

ATS officials have approached the Lucknow ATS court to obtain custody remand for Abdul Awwal, expecting further information about the suspicious bank accounts and the associated money trail during subsequent questioning.

The ongoing investigation by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) into the Sun Shine Health and Social Welfare Trust has uncovered a scheme where the accused, in collaboration with NGO operator Abdul Gaffar, allegedly transferred donated funds to suspicious accounts in smaller amounts before withdrawing them. The NGO purportedly received funds from various European countries in the guise of social welfare.

However, Gaffar, the NGO operator, remains at large. The arrested individual, Mohammed Abdul Awwal, during interrogation, confessed that Gaffar recruited him and others in April 2020 to open fake bank accounts in the names of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants. Approximately ₹20 crore in donations was diverted over three years.

The senior ATS official revealed that their modus operandi, aimed at bringing funds from abroad, clearly suggested a nexus involved in using this money for anti-national activities by violating FCRA norms. The investigation further indicated that the accused transferred the donated funds to these accounts in smaller amounts, which were then withdrawn.

The ATS, having learned about these accounts after arresting Awwal from New Delhi, is seeking his custody remand from the Lucknow ATS court. The investigation is likely to progress after obtaining remand, allowing further questioning about the suspicious bank accounts and the entire money trail.

Image source: Hindustan Times