UP ATS raids madrasa in Bengal, seizes computer & SIM cards

Lucknow, Jan 15 (IANS) The anti-terrorist squad (ATS) of the UP Police has recovered a computer and two SIM cards from a madrasa of West Bengal being operated by Abu Saleh, a member of the human trafficking and terror funding syndicate. Abu Saleh, accused of receiving foreign funds to the tune of Rs 58 crore in the name of two trusts and misusing them to carry out anti-national activities, was arrested from Lucknow’s Manak Nagar area on January 8.ATS officials said a team headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police took Abu Saleh to West Bengal.“We have, so far, recovered a computer, SIM cards and several documents, containing details of infiltrators, from the madrasa. The seized material would now be sent for a forensic audit," the officials said.The ATS is likely to bring Abu Saleh back to Uttar Pradesh on Monday and produce him in a court to seek extension of his remand.Abu Saleh reportedly had claimed to be a director of various trusts, including Kabir Bagh Millat Academy and Haroa-al Jamiatul Islamia Darul Uloom Madrasa.“The FCRA accounts (through which foreign funding can be received) of these trusts showed that they received Rs 58 crore from UK-based Ummah Welfare Trust between 2018 and 2022, the ATS sources added.An ATS officer said Ummah Welfare Trust had its accounts with Barclays and HSBC, but were closed due to its activities in the UK. The trust had worked with Interpal, a Palestinian organisation, designated as a terrorist entity by the US. He said a large part of the funding was obtained in the form of cash through false billings.--iANSamita/dpb

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