Lucknow, Jan 9 (IANS): The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a West Bengal resident accused of getting foreign funds worth Rs 58 crore in the name of two trusts and misusing them to carry out anti-national activities.

The arrest was made from Lucknow’s Manak Nagar area.

“Abu Saleh Mandal, 50, a resident of 24 Parganas district in West Bengal and on whom a reward of Rs 50,000 was declared by the ATS, was arrested in Manak Nagar area of Lucknow,” said an ATS official.

The ATS said it had intelligence input of a syndicate that got illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and other neighbour countries settled in India by procuring fake documents on their behalf, and made them promote anti-national activities here.

“Cases under relevant IPC sections, section 14 of The Foreigners Act, 1946 and sections 12(1) and 12(2) of The Passport Act, 1967 have been registered against Abu Saleh,” the official added.

Three arrests had already been made between October and December from Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh in connection with the case.

During his interrogation, Abu Saleh reportedly claimed to be the director of trusts Kabir Bagh Millat Academy and Haroa-al Jamiatul Islamia Darul Uloom Madrasa.

“The FCRA accounts (through which foreign fundings can be received) of these trusts showed they had received a sum of around Rs 58 crore (from UK-based Umma Welfare Trust) between 2018 and 2022,” said the official.

The ATS explained that a large part of the fundings was obtained in the form of cash through false billings.

Besides, some money was also received through Hawala.