Zakir Naik's aide, 3 others booked by Mumbai police

Mumbai, Aug 9: A case has been registered by city police against an employee of controversial preacher Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and three others, including two arrested earlier by Kerala police in connection with alleged ISIS recruitment, a senior official said today.

Based on a complaint lodged by father of Ashfaque, one of the 21 youths from Kerala reported missing and suspected to have joined ISIS, a case was registered yesterday against IRF employee Arshid Qureshi, Rizwan Khan and two others at Nagpada police station, the official said.

They have been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), he said.

Qureshi and Khan were earlier arrested by Kerala police. In a joint operation by Kerala Police and Maharashtra ATS, Qureshi was nabbed from Navi Mumbai on July 21 for allegedly radicalising youths. The Kerala police traced Qureshi to Mumbai following a complaint lodged in Kochi by the brother of a young woman, suspected to have joined ISIS along with her husband and left the state.

Ebin Jacob (25), brother of Merin alias Mariam who is missing along with her husband Bestin Vincent alias Yahia from Kerala, had told Palarivattom police in Kochi that there was an attempt to forcibly convert him to Islam and make him join ISIS, and that Bestin and Qureshi were behind it.

In a similar operation, Khan, also allegedly instrumental in recruiting youths to terror outfit ISIS, was apprehended from his residence at Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district on July 22. At least 21 youths from Kerala were reported missing and suspected to have joined ISIS. Qureshi had been taken to Kerala after a Mumbai court granted his transit remand.

PTI