Zakir Naik employee among 4 men booked by Mumbai Police

On Tuesday, Mumbai police registered a case 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.

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

The accused have been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC section 120-B (criminal conspiracy). Qureshi and Khan were earlier arrested by Kerala police.

In a joint operation by Kerala Police and Maharashtra ATS, Qureshi was held 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, who is suspected to have joined ISIS along with her husband and fled from the state.

Ebin Jacob, brother of Merin alias Mariam who is missing along with her husband Bestin Vincent alias Yahia from Kerala, told Palarivattom police in Kochi that there was an attempt to forcibly convert him to Islam and make him join ISIS. The 25-year-old claimed that Bestin and Qureshi were the ones who were trying to convert him.

In a similar operation, Khan, who has also allegedly helped recruit youths for terror outfit ISIS, was apprehended from his residence at Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district on July 22.

At least 21 youths from Kerala have been reported missing and suspected to have joined ISIS. Qureshi had been taken to Kerala after a Mumbai court granted his transit remand.