The mastermind of a plot to fund a terrorist attack in Gorakhpur, Ramesh Shah was arrested on Thursday in Pune. Shah was arrested in a joint operation by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Police.
He is currently on transit remand to Lucknow, where he will be produced before a Uttar Pradesh court and taken for further questioning.
Six persons involved in criminal conspiracy and distributing money into various bank accounts on the instructions given by a Pakistani handler were arrested on March 24 from Gorakhpur, an official told IANS.
The 28-year-old Ramesh Shah was the kingpin of the gang.
On his instruction, the ATS official said more than Rs 1 crore exchanged hands between the Pakistani handler and terror operatives, with major funds coming from the Middle East, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala and distributed to various states.
Shah hails from Gopalganj in Bihar and has been operating a shopping mart in Gorakhpur for many years.
[With inputs from IANS]
