New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an ophthalmologist from a medical college in Bangalore for allegedly being in touch with Islamic State (IS) operatives. The ophthalmologist, identified as Abdur Rahman, 28, was working to develop one medical one weapon-related application. The application would have helped the IS cadres in furthering its activities in India, officials said Tuesday.
Rahman was working at MS Ramaiah Medical College. He was taken into custody Monday in connection with the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) case being probed by the NIA.
The ISKP case was initially registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell in March, 2020, after the arrest of a Kashmiri couple – Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh – from Okhla Vihar locality here.
The couple having affiliations with the ISKP, an affiliate group of IS, were allegedly involved in subversive and anti-national activities. They were in touch with a member of the Abu Dhabi module of the IS, Abdullah Basith, who was arrested in a separate NIA case. Basith is currently lodged in Tihar jail.
“During interrogation, arrested accused Rahman confessed that he was conspiring with accused Sami and other Syria-based IS operatives on secure messaging platforms to further ISIS activities. He was in the process of developing a medical application for helping the injured IS cadres in the conflict zones and a weaponry-related application for the benefit of IS fighters,” NIA spokesperson Sonia Narang said.
The NIA has found that Rahman allegedly toured Syria and visited an IS medical camp in early 2014 for treatment of the terrorists for 10 days and returned to India.
After Rahman’s arrest, the NIA carried out searches at three of his premises and seized digital devices, mobile phone, a laptop containing incriminating material, Narang said.