The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an ophthalmologist working at Bengaluru’s M S Ramaiah Medical College - Abdur Rahman, who was developing a medical application for helping the injured ISIS cadres in the conflict-zones and a weaponry-related application for the benefit of ISIS fighters, according to a statement issued by the agency on Tuesday.
The NIA said Rahman (28), had even visited an ISIS medical camp in Syria in early 2014 for treatment of ISIS terrorists and stayed with Islamic State operatives for 10 days and returned to India.
A resident of Basavangudi in Bengaluru, Rahman was arrested on Monday in connection with the agency’s probe against a Kashmiri couple - Jahanzaib Sami Wani and Hina Bashir Beigh, arrested from Jamia Nagar in Delhi in March this year.
This case was initially registered by Delhi Police Special Cell in March, 2020, after the arrest of Sami and Beigh. The couple was allegedly affiliated with the ISKP (Islamic State of Khorasan Province), which is a banned terrorist organisation and is a part of ISIS and were found to be involved in subversive and anti-national activities.
“They were also found to be in touch with Abdullah Basith, who was already lodged in Tihar jail in another NIA case (ISIS Abu Dhabi Module),” the NAI statement said.
{{/usCountry}}“They were also found to be in touch with Abdullah Basith, who was already lodged in Tihar jail in another NIA case (ISIS Abu Dhabi Module),” the NAI statement said.
{{/usCountry}}“During further investigation, NIA arrested two more accused - Sadiya Anwar Sheikh and Nabeel Siddick Khatri, both residents of Pune, for being part of the conspiracy to further the activities of ISIS/ISKP in India and to carry out subversive activities in the garb of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests,” it said.
“During interrogation, arrested accused Abdur Rahman confessed that he was conspiring with accused Jahanzaib Sami and other Syria-based ISIS operatives on secure messaging platforms to further ISIS activities. He was in the process of developing a medical application for helping the injured ISIS cadres in the conflict-zones and a weaponry-related application for the benefit of ISIS fighters. Significantly, he had visited an ISIS medical camp in Syria in early 2014 for treatment of ISIS terrorists and stayed with Islamic State operatives for 10 days and returned to India,” NIA said.
After arresting him, NIA carried out searches at three premises belonging to him in Bangalore with the assistance of Karnataka Police and seized digital devices, mobile phone, laptop containing incriminating material.
He will be produced before the NIA Special Court at New Delhi and NIA remand will be sought for his custodial interrogation, the agency said.