NEW DELHI: National Investigation Agency (NIA), which recently busted a module through which Lashker arm Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) had allegedly financed construction of a mosque in Haryana , is now probing if the mosque was built as part of Lashker's larger and long-term design to create a base for indoctrinating young Muslims, recruiting sleeper cells for Lashker, harbouring terror modules before and after attacks and managing finances for terrorist activities in India.

Sources close to the investigation indicated that Mohammad Salman, an arrested accused who hails from Uttawar and sourced over Rs 70 lakh from FIF via Dubai-based Pakistani businessman Kamran who is in touch with deputy chief of FIF, has admitted during his interrogation that he had met Kamran at least 2-3 times in Dubai in the past one year. He also revealed that he had received over Rs 70 lakh from Kamran, which was utilised for construction of the mosque in Uttawar, Palwal .

"It is a common modus operandi of FIF to fund religious projects such as construction of mosques by projecting it as charity work. However, this is only a cover for furthering and funding terror activities of Lashker e Toiba. The US has already seen through this cover and included FIF in the list of proscribed terrorist organisations," said an officer.

TOI has learnt that NIA is tracking a few more persons like Salman in other parts of the country, who it suspects are part of a larger FIF terror funding network.

Meanwhile, Enforcement Directorate will also be conducting a parallel investigation into FIF terror funds transferred by hawala route for construction of the mosque. NIA is believed to have shared the FIR with ED for registering a separate case. In case investigation by ED confirms the terror funding angle, it is empowered to move for attachment of the mosque.

NIA had recently conducted searches at the Uttawar mosque and recovered documents reportedly confirming that nearly Rs 70 lakh of the Rs 2-2.5 crore used to construct the mosque were FIF funds received through hawala route. The remaining, said a source, may have come by way of donations received from local members of the community.

