ED Raids Ex-Minister Babu Singh’s Premises in J&K Narco-Terror Case

Jammu, Nov 6: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out searches at multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir, including the premises of former minister Babu Singh, in connection with a narco-terror money laundering case, officials said.

According to sources, six premises in Srinagar and two in Jammu were searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The case stems from a 2022 Jammu and Kashmir Police investigation, in which Mohammad Shareef Shah was caught while attempting to deliver ₹6.9 lakh in hawala money from Kashmir to Babu Singh in Jammu. The funds were allegedly meant to finance separatist and subversive activities in the region.

Investigators have uncovered a wider nexus involving Saif Din, Farooq Ahmed Naikoo, and Mubashir Mushtaq Fafoo, who allegedly collaborated with Pakistan-based operatives to run a narco-terror module. The network reportedly trafficked heroin from Pakistan into India during 2021–22, with proceeds exceeding ₹2 crore laundered through local bank accounts in Srinagar.

Officials said these funds were later transferred to accounts of Indian nationals in Dubai acting as money mules, before being withdrawn and routed to Hizbul Mujahideen operatives in Pakistan.

The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) had earlier filed a chargesheet against 12 people, including Babu Singh, in the hawala case. Singh was arrested in April 2022 after his worker Shah was caught with the hawala cash.

In 2024, the SIA also arrested two more individuals, including a policeman and a former sarpanch, bringing the total number of accused to 17.

Earlier this year, SIA teams also raided multiple properties, including the Belicharana area of Jammu, seizing several electronic devices linked to the investigation.

Officials said the ED’s ongoing searches aim to trace the money trail and property assets linked to the alleged narco-terror network and its cross-border funding operations.