The Delhi Police have found that funds were received from Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) just ahead of the violence in northeast Delhi in February this year, news agencies reported on Monday, citing sources.

According to police sources, it is being investigated whether the funds were received to facilitate the violence and protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Notably, the Delhi Violence consists of multiple waves of bloodshed, property destruction, and rioting in North East Delhi, beginning on 23 February this year. It spiraled into communal riots centered on the controversial citizenship act.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police has also recovered a register from the residence of Jamia Coordination Committee member Meeran Haider, who has been booked and arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a case related to the violence. Haider, a Ph.D. student at Jamia, was arrested in April.

The register consists of details about the violence and has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for handwriting analysis, sources said.

Apart from the register, Rs 2.5 lakh cash was also recovered from his residence, sources said, adding that it was discovered during the investigation that Rs 5 lakh had been deposited into his account ahead of the violence.

Sources said that the funds had come from Oman and UAE.

Before this, the Delhi Police had also found that one of the persons arrested in connection with the northeast Delhi violence, Khalid Saifi, had also met radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia.

In February, clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi between the groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). At least 53 people lost their lives in the violence and hundreds of others were injured.

Over 700 FIRs were lodged and the SIT probing the matter has arrested or detained more than 2,500 people in connection with the cases pertaining to the violence.

(With ANI inputs)