Shopian strike cripples jail-linked LeT/TRF cash pipeline: 10 arrested in multi-district operation

In a sharp blow to the terror ecosystem in south Kashmir, Shopian Police have dismantled an intra-Union Territory terror financing module that was allegedly funneling money collected from the public to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF). Ten terrorist associates have been arrested, and FIR No. 231/2026 has been registered at Police Station Shopian under relevant sections of law.

The breakthrough came after investigators zeroed in on suspicious online financial transactions moving through multiple payment platforms.

Carefully mapping multi-layered money trails, police uncovered a wider network of individuals with links to terrorists and their associates currently lodged in different jails across the Union Territory. The module was operating quietly, raising funds clandestinely from ordinary people and routing the cash through established financial channels to support militant activities.

Initial findings show the money was used not only to bankroll operations but also to provide logistical support, including smartphones, that help sustain terrorist activities on the ground. Of the ten arrested, eight hail from the twin south Kashmir districts of Shopian and Pulwama, while two are from the border district of Kathua in the Jammu region, underscoring the intra-UT reach of the network.

Those arrested have been identified as:

• Owais Shafi Naikoo, son of Mohammad Shafi Naikoo, Saidpora Bala, Shopian.
• Tajamul Ahmad Shah, son of Ab. Rashid Shah, Rawalpora, Shopian.
• Moiz Iqbal, son of Mohammad Iqbal Hajam, Chitragam Kalan.
• Imdad Yousuf Ganie, son of Mohd Yousuf Ganie, Chitragam Kalan.
• Saqib Zahoor Wani, son of Zahoor Ahmad Wani, Murran, Pulwama.
• Aamir Ahmad Ganie, son of Gh Nabi Ganie, Armolah, Pulwama.
• Firdous Thokar, son of Gh Qadir Thokar, Nadigund, Trenz.
• Liyaqat Nazir Lone, son of Nazir Ahmad Lone, Murran, Pulwama.
• Mohd Hanief, son of Kaju Sheru, Check Haria, Kathua.
• Kaju, son of Haji Sheeru, Check Haria, Kathua.

Police say further investigation is ongoing to map the full extent of the network, identify additional financial linkages, and bring more individuals into the net. More arrests are expected.

The operation forms part of the sustained, coordinated effort by Kashmir Police and other security agencies to choke unlawful funding channels, dismantle overground support structures, and protect peace across the Union Territory.

This success fits a broader pattern of recent pressure on terror networks. In the past several days, security forces have scored multiple hits. On 16th October, a joint Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police operation in the Keran sector of Kupwara district foiled an infiltration bid from across the Line of Control, eliminating two terrorists who were attempting to slip into Indian territory.

These actions, alongside continued intelligence-driven operations against modules and hideouts, show security forces keeping the heat on both active terrorists and the financial and logistical networks that sustain them.

By targeting the money trail that keeps the terror machinery running especially channels linked to jailed cadres, Shopian Police have struck at a critical enabler. The message is clear: the financial support that fuels violence is being systematically cut off, even as forces continue to neutralize threats on the ground.

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