CTD arrests engineering student who allegedly sent bitcoin to Daesh in Syria

• Suspect allegedly used a mobile bank account to transfer funds
• Suspect transferred Rs1 million within a year
• Umar bin Khalid was a final-year engineering student

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday said that they have arrested an engineering student who was allegedly involved in sending money to Daesh in Syria through the cryptocurrency bitcoin.

Addressing a press conference, DIG CTD Omar Shahid Hamid said that they were carrying out investigations regarding terror funding for quite some time. The suspects used to send money to the Daesh women in Syria.

DIG Hamid said that money was being deposited in Karachi and being sent to Syria by the suspect, identified as Hafiz Umar bin Khalid, and his accomplice Zia. The DIG added that the CTD has carried out a forensic examination of Hafiz Umar Bin Khalid after he was arrested.

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Meanwhile, CTD Incharge Raja Umar Khitab said that the suspect made a mobile phone account to get money.

“He used to get money in this account and used to send it with an accomplice from Hyderabad,” said Khitab. He said that Zia used to first convert the money into dollars, then buy bitcoins from it and send it to Syria.

“The suspects have transferred close to Rs1 million within a year,” said Khitab. He added that the jihadi families use Twitter accounts to demand funds.

Khitab said that Umar bin Khalid was a final year student at NED University.