Terror Funding Case: Junaid brainwashed, not connected to LeT, says lawyer of suspect held in Pune

The lawyer of the suspect arrested on Tuesday in a terror funding case said that the accused, Junaid has been brainwashed and has no connections at all to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as alleged by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

The suspect who was produced before a court in Pune today was sent to ATS custody till June 3.

Junaid's lawyer Yashpal Purohit told ANI: "He was a resident of Pune and was switching places... if the investigation requires, he'll be taken to Jammu and Kashmir. The whereabouts of recces will be investigated. He has been brainwashed and is not connected to LeT in any way."

The advocate also claimed that Junaid was not "that educated" to understand what he's doing, and has therefore been "falsely implicated".

"As far as the defence is concerned, he has been falsely implicated; he's not that educated to understand what he's doing. He had visited Kashmir and was brainwashed; thereafter he got active on social media, as per ATS's report," Purohit said.

As per the defence lawyer, the main reasons for which ATS sought custody were Junaid's terror funding, recce, and his different locations and phone calls.

The 28-year-old accused Mohammad Junaid, as per the Maharashtra ATS is an Indian national, residing in Pune and was connected to Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) terror network.

According to an ATS official, Junaid was in touch with active members of LeT Kashmir and was trying to recruit youth for the banned organisation from various parts of the state. "Later these recruits were taken to Jammu and Kashmir for training, to conduct terrorist activities."

The official informed of a transaction between Junaid and the LeT.

"Prima facie investigation revealed that Junaid was also trying to disturb the National security and communal harmony and trying to create a religious rift among communities by posting various comments etc through various social media like Facebook and WhatsApp etc," the ATS said.

Junaid has been booked under sections 153A (attacks upon the religion, race, etc), 121A (conspiring to commit certain offences against the State), 116 (bribing public servant) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

As per the ATS, Junaid was using 10 SIM cards. "All these SIM cards were used to interact and coordinate with whom the top bosses for training in J-K and how to proceed further."

He destroyed all the SIM cards after using them.

Junaid's suspicious role had emerged during the operation in Jammu and Kashmir for three months, for which he had shifted from Akola to Pune.

So far, the ATS has identified three handlers of LeT during the investigation, an official said.

(ANI)