Four booked in Beed for raising more than Rs 4 cr illegally to 'support' Palestine; 2 held

Mumbai, Jan 8 (PTI) Four persons were booked in Maharashtra's Beed district for collecting more than Rs 4 crore fraudulently claiming it was to support Palestine amid the war with Israel, a police official said on Thursday.

Since fighting between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, the overall Palestinian death toll stands at 71,391, while another 171,279 have been wounded. More than 400 deaths have been reported since a ceasefire was reached to halt fighting in Gaza in October.

"Local police and its anti-terrorism unit had specific information about suspected terror funding. A search was conducted at Patrud village in Majalgaon. The accused have collected over Rs 4 crore in the name of support to Palestine," the official said.

"The money was collected in the bank account of a trust not registered with the charity commissioner. This makes the collection of funds illegal. A case of cheating and fraud has been registered by Majalgaon rural police against the four, two of whom have been arrested," he said.

Police is verifying if the accused have links with any proscribed organisation and if the amount collected by them was part of terror funding, the official added. PTI DC BNM