NIA arrests 28-year-old Bengaluru doctor for alleged Islamic State links

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a doctor from Bengaluru for alleged links with the Islamic State. According to a report in PTI, the arrested doctor has been identified as Abdur Rahman. The 28-year-old ophthalmologist was taken into custody by the NIA on Monday from Bengaluru-based MS Ramaiah Medical College.

Rahman is accused of working on a medical app for helping terrorists, investigating officers told PTI on Tuesday.

According to NIA spokesperson Sonia Narang, Rahman has confessed that he was in touch with ISIS operatives and assisting them.

“During interrogation, arrested accused Rahman confessed that he was conspiring with accused 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,” Sonia said.

Rahman has been arrested in connection with the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) case. ISKP is an affiliate group of ISIS. The case is being probed by the anti-terror agency.

The case was registered in March by the Delhi Police Special Cell following the arrest of a Kashmiri couple — Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh. They were arrested from Okhla Vihar, Jamia Nagar in Delhi.

The two were allegedly linked to the ISKP and involved in subversive and anti-national activities. They were in touch with a member of the Abu Dhabi module of ISIS, Abdullah Basith, who was arrested in a separate NIA case. Basith is currently lodged in Tihar jail. Basith (20), a Hyderabad local, is considered to be one of the first ISIS recruits in India.

According to the NIA, Rahman had allegedly toured Syria in 2014. He had even visited an ISIS medical camp for the treatment of the terrorists for 10 days before returning to India.

Meanwhile, the NIA has also raided at least three premises linked to Rahman and seized digital devices, a mobile phone and laptop.