‘Haneef travelled to Kerala to indoctrinate 21 youngsters’

The complainant, Abdul Majeed Kadar Khan, 60, whose son Ashfaque is among those missing, said Haneef and Abdul Rasheed (also named in the FIR) were instrumental in radicalising the 21 youth

Haneef, one of the four accused named in the case registered against controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), had travelled to Kerala to indoctrinate the 21 youngsters to join ISIS, who went missing last month, according to the Mumbai crime branch.

The complainant, Abdul Majeed Kadar Khan, 60, whose son Ashfaque is among those missing, said Haneef and Abdul Rasheed (also named in the FIR) were instrumental in radicalising the 21 youth.

Khan registered a case with the Nagpada police against IRF’s guest representative officer Arshid Qureshi, Maulavi Rizwan Khan, Haneef and Abdul Rasheed on charges of criminal conspiracy and under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Qureshi and Rizwan were arrested in a joint operation between the Kerala police and state anti-terrorism squad (ATS).

Khan, in his complaint, said his son stayed in Kerala for most part of the year and would occasionally come to Mumbai to assist him with his business. Sources said Khan’s son allegedly met Haneef in Kerala and the association grew stronger during his trips to Mumbai.

“Khan has been staying in Nagpada for 30 years and approached the police saying his son was radicalised. We

are collecting evidence. The probe has been handed over to a team,” said Sanjay Saxena, joint commissioner of police (crime).

The arrests of IRF’s Qureshi and Rizwan Khan revealed the duo was involved in indoctrination, with their activities mainly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The police learned Qureshi made several trips to the two states – which he visited to give sermons and speeches. The people would then be brought to Mumbai, where Rizwan would assist with conversion, with help from IRF’s Qureshi.