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Srinagar : In a chilling echo of the high-profile crowd-funding investigations currently rocking South Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir intelligence agencies and the State Investigation Agency (SIA) have sounded a red flag over a massive donation scam operating under the guise of humanitarian aid for Iran. According to a classified report from the J&K Police dated March 24, accessed exclusively by CNN-News18, a genuine appeal for assistance issued by the Iranian Embassy on March 14 has been hijacked by a sophisticated network of middlemen and fraudsters. These individuals are allegedly siphoning off crores in cash and valuables from innocent civilians, particularly from within the Shia community, for personal gain and potentially anti-national activities.
The scale of the illicit collection is staggering, with the J&K Police estimating that approximately Rs 17.91 crore, along with substantial amounts of gold and other valuables, has been illegally gathered across the valley. The geographic breakdown of these collections reveals a widespread operation: Rs 9.5 crore from Budgam, Rs 4 crore from Baramulla, and Rs 2 crore from Srinagar, with smaller but significant amounts reported from Kulgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, and Pulwama. Intelligence reports suggest that these unauthenticated middlemen are employing emotional and religious appeals to solicit donations, targeting even the most economically vulnerable families who have contributed wedding savings, livestock, copper utensils, and gold jewellery in an outpouring of genuine solidarity.
The intelligence report explicitly identifies a “conduit” system involving individuals allegedly with deep-rooted connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and separatist elements. Key figures named in the investigation include Hakeem Sajad of Bagwanpora, Srinagar, described as a primary distributor of Iranian funds to local clerics, and Syed Ruhollah Rizvi, originally from Ganderbal but currently based in Iran. Rizvi is flagged as a pivotal link between external handlers and local collectors. Agencies are particularly concerned that nearly half of the funds collected are reportedly being routed back to sustain a “payroll” of recipients within Kashmir to maintain separatist influence, mirroring the tactics seen in the ongoing SIA probe into the Maulavi Sarjan Barkati crowd-funding racket.
This investigation has now moved into the crosshairs of multiple national agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alongside the SIA. Authorities have issued a stern warning to those facilitating these door-to-door and stall collections, stating that unauthenticated middlemen will face repercussions similar to those experienced by known secessionist figures in South Kashmir. As the crackdown intensifies, the police are urging the public to exercise extreme caution and verify the credentials of any individual or organisation seeking donations, as the line between genuine charity and a calculated financial scam continues to blur in the shadow of regional geopolitics.(News18)
