A close associate of hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani was arrested in connection with an alleged hawala racket and `21 lakhs seized from him, the police said on Sunday.
“Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, who has been a financier of disruptive activities, has been arrested,” inspector-general of police, Kashmir, S.M. Sahai said.
He said `21 lakhs were recovered from Mr Bhat’s possession at the time of his arrest from his Hyderpora residence on Saturday. Mr Bhat was injured in a scuffle between the police and his family who tried to resist his arrest and is presently admitted at SKIMS Hospital in Soura.
Official sources said a team of the Delhi police has arrived here to take custody of Mr Bhat, who claims to be an advocate and was arrested in a similar case three years ago. Mr Bhat was arrested in 2008 in Udhampur district while returning to the Valley with `55 lakhs in alleged Hawala money concealed in a gas cylinder.