Mumbai Businessman Held In Jammu And Kashmir Terror Funding Case

“My father is innocent; he’s done nothing,” said Astha Toprani, daughter of Deepak Toprani, a cloth merchant and advocate from Vidyavihar and one of the nine arrested yesterday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for allegedly funding terror- and separatist-related activities in Jammu & Kashmir. The agency has seized over Rs 36 crore in demonetised currency notes from the gang.

Caught in the act
The NIA had intercepted seven in Connaught Place on Monday, including Toprani, allegedly found in possession of 28 cartons filled with demonetised Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes in four vehicles – a BMW X3, a Hyundai Creta SX, a Ford EcoSport and a BMW X1. The value of the currency seized was put at R36.34 crore. Later that evening, three more from the gang were detained, of which two were arrested.

The arrested are Delhi residents Pradeep Chauhan, Bhagwan Singh and Vinod Shreedhar Shetty, Deepak Toprani of Mumbai, Ejajul Hassan of Amroha, Jaswinder Singh of Nagpur and Umar Mushtaq Dar (Pulwama), Shahnawaz Mir (Srinagar) and Majid Yousuf Sofi (Anantnag) of J&K.

Family matters
When mid-day reached Toprani’s residence to speak to his family, they refused to allow the reporter in. Speaking over the intercom, his daughter said, “We are not in a position to talk with the media at this point of time. My father is innocent; he did nothing.”

A neighbour said, “He (Toprani) is an advocate and has an office near Platinum Mall in Vidyavihar.” Police sources said there had been an allegation against Toprani in the past that he had tried to illegally occupy someone else’s property. Sources from NIA said that since last morning to late in the evening, officers carried out a search at his house and collected several important papers.

Rs 36 cr
Value ofdemonetised currency notes seized from the accused

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