The ATS officers, in a joint operation with the Intelligence Bureau, on Monday, made the fourth arrest in the July 13 triple blasts case — a hawala operator from New Delhi. He is supposed to have handed over `10 lakhs used for the blasts to Yasin Bhatkal.
Kanwar Nain Wazeer Chand Pathrija from the Chandni Chowk area in the Walled City is alleged to be one of the biggest hawala operators in the capital and used to carry out his operations from the walled city and Ashok Vihar area of Delhi. He also ran a jewellery shop by the name of Jyoti Jewellers in the Chandni Chowk area. Patrija was arrested late on Monday evening and brought to Mumbai on Tuesday where he was produced before the court that remanded him to the ATS custody till February 10.
“We have arrested Pathrija with the assistance extended by joint commissioner P.N. Agarwal of the special cell of the Delhi police. Pathrija is the main hawala operator who handed over the money to Bhatkal,” said ATS chief Rakesh Maria.
Pathrija’s name had come up for the first time when the Darbhanga module of the Indian Mujahideen was smashed by the special cell and the IB. It was suspected that most of the funding of this IM module came from the hawala route through Pathrija. The intelligence agencies are now trying to confirm whether money for the Mumbai bombings came through Nepal, Pakistan or a Gulf country. It is largely suspected that IM founder, Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, operating out of Karachi is sending money to fund IM operations in India through hawala channels.