Money collected through Mosques, etc. is used for terrorist activities in India : FATF report

New Delhi – The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an independent Inter-Governmental body that develops and promotes policies to protect the global financial system against money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The FATF Recommendations are recognised as the global anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) standard. It has recently published a report titled ‘Crowd funding for Terrorism Financing’.

“Indian officials have reported that a violent extremist organisation under investigation in India collected funds through well-structured networks spanning the entire country. Resorting to solicitation at Mosques and public places, the group’s fundraising tactics included Offline and Online mechanisms, such as circulating QR codes and account details through which donors were asked to send money. Over 3,000 bank accounts and informal value transfer systems were used. Funds were ultimately used to procure arms and ammunition and for training the cadres of the violent extremist organisation, among other purposes”, the FATF report says.

Although the name of the organisation was not mentioned in the report, the English newspaper ‘Indian Express’ identified it as the ‘Popular Front of India’ (PFI). The Union Government had banned this Jihadi terrorist organisation last year. These funds raised through crowdfunding were also invested and parked in businesses and real estate projects to generate regular income for terrorist activities.

The FATF report says that 8 extremists have been apprehended, and prosecution complaints have been lodged against them. Additionally, a sum of Rs 3.5 crore was confiscated from their possession.

Editorial Perspectives

• Congressmen who yell that ‘terrorism has no religion’, criminalise Hindus in the name of ‘saffron terrorism’. Now Hindus should demand an answer from the Congress on this FATF report.
• It is impossible to root out the Jihadi terrorism through the existing Indian system which is sycophantic towards Muslims under the garb of secularism. Hence, work towards establishing the ‘Hindu Rashtra’.