Delhi: NIA arrests Jamia student for sending crypto money to IS
The accused, Mohsin Ahmad, 22, is an active member of the terror outfit and was collecting funds from sympathisers in India and abroad, the NIA said. He was sending the collected funds to Syria and other places through cryptocurrency, the agency said.
A student of Jamia Millia Islamia has been arrested for alleged links with the Islamic State, the National Investigation Agency said on Sunday.
The accused, Mohsin Ahmad, 22, is an active member of the terror outfit and was collecting funds from sympathisers in India and abroad, the agency said. He was sending the collected funds to Syria and other places through cryptocurrency, the agency said.
Ahmad, a native of Patna, was living in the Batla House area of Delhi. He is enrolled in the second year of the electrical engineering course at Jamia, people familiar with the matter said.
“NIA conducted search in the residential premises of accused Mohsin Ahmad and subsequently arrested him in the case pertaining to online and on-ground activities of ISIS,” the central agency said in a statement.
“Ahmad is a radicalised and active member of ISIS. He has been arrested for his involvement in collection of funds for ISIS from sympathisers in India as well as abroad. He was sending these funds to Syria and other places in form of cryptocurrency in order to further the activities of ISIS,” the statement said.
Further investigations in the case are underway, NIA said.
Calling the arrest “unconstitutional”, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party. “The arrest of Jamia student Mohsin by the NIA is completely wrong and unconstitutional. BJP and RSS have found a new way to malign and harass Muslims in the name of IS; Mohsin is innocent and has no relation with any anti-social element. Mohsin should be released soon,” he tweeted.
Earlier, on July 31, the agency carried out searches at 13 locations in six states – Bhopal and Raisen in Madhya Pradesh; Bharuch, Surat, Navsari and Ahmedabad in Gujarat; Arariya in Bihar; Bhatkal and Tumkur City in Karnataka; Kolhapur and Nanded in Maharashtra; and Deoband in Uttar Pradesh.
A case in this IS module was registered on June 25.
In the last one year, the agency has issued two appeals to the public to bring to its notice any propaganda or radicalisation on social media platforms by Islamic State members.
On September 17, 2021, a statement from NIA said: “Investigation by NIA has revealed that IS (Islamic State) is trying to spread its tentacles in India through continuous propaganda online. Gullible youth are targeted on open social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Once a person shows interest, he or she is then enticed to communicate with online handlers based abroad using encrypted social media platforms. Depending on the gullibility of the person, the handlers then use the person for uploading online content, translation of IS texts to local language, conspiracy, preparation of a module, collection of arms and ammunition, preparation of IEDs, terror funding and even attacks.”
“An appeal is being made that any such activity noticed on the internet maybe brought to the notice of the authorities. NIA may be contacted at 011-24368800,” it added.