Jammu, Feb 19 (IANS): Two persons were arrested after Rs 3.36 crore was recovered from their vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said on Wednesday.
The recovery was made on Tuesday. “The Kashmir-bound vehicle was coming from Delhi and was intercepted at Lakhanpur, the entry point to Jammu and Kashmir. A total of Rs 3.36 crore was recovered from the vehicle and both of its occupants belonging to Srinagar, were arrested and handed over to the income tax department for further investigation," said officials here.
Shobhit Saxena, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kathua, said the cash was found hidden in a specially built cavity under the seats at the back side of the vehicle.
“So far no terror funding angle emerged during the investigation which is at a very initial stage,” the SSP added.
Security forces and J&K Police have launched aggressive operations against terrorists, their over-ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers. The security forces also have launched operations against drug smugglers, drug peddlers and those involved in Hawala rackets.
It is believed that a large portion of the money generated from these rackets is used to sustain terrorists in the UT. In this regard, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired two security review meetings on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir recently.
Amit Shah is reported to have directed the security forces to ensure zero infiltration and zero tolerance for terrorists.
These top-level meetings were followed by two security review meetings chaired by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. One of these meetings was held in Srinagar and the other in Jammu.
The Lt Governor directed police and the security forces to go all out to dismantle the ecosystem of terrorism by targeting terrorists, their OGWs and sympathisers.
Terrorists have been trying to step up their activities in the union territory. Two soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive (IED) blast in the Akhnoor sector of the Jammu district. Officials said later that the IED was planted by terrorists. On Tuesday, two IEDs were planted by the terrorists in Shopian and Tral areas of the Valley. Both these IEDs were defused by bomb disposal squads.