LUCKNOW: Special Judge Reema Malhotra has permitted the ATS to take the ten persons, allegedly having links with Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba group and involved in terror-funding activities, into its custody for seven days for interrogation.
The custody period of the accused began today.
The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had demanded the custody of the accused for recovery of pass books and ATM cards besides inquiring them about their other accomplices.
While nine accused were arrested from different parts of Uttar Pradesh and sent to judicial custody on March 25, the tenth accused Uma Pratap Singh alias Saurabh was produced on transit remand from Madhya Pradesh.
The ATS had registered an FIR against them on March 22 and during interrogation ATM cards, Rs 42 lakh cash, swap machines, magnetic card readers, three lap-top computers, passbooks of various banks, a country-made pistol and cartridges were recovered from them.
These persons were involved in terror-funding on the directives from Pakistan, ATS IG Asim Arun had told reporters in Lucknow on Sunday.
Those arrested were identified as Naseem Ahamad, Naeem Arshad, Sanjay Saroj, Niraj Mishra, Sahil Masih, Uma Pratap Singh, Mukesh Prasad, Nikhil Rai alias Musharraf Ansari, Ankur Rai and Dayanand Yadav.
"A member of Lashker-e-Taiba used to remain in contact with them and ask them to open bank accounts in fake names and direct them as to how much money is to be transferred to which account.
Indian agents used to get 10 to 20 per cent commission for this.
Till now transactions of over Rs one crore have come to the fore," the IG had said.