The National Investigation Agency has made substantial progress in its probe into the missing case of Kerala youths who were allegedly indoctrinated to join the Islamic State terror group. The agency has filed a chargesheet against Islamic Research Foundation employee Arshi Qureshi alias Asif Qureshi and absconding accused Abdul Rashid Abdullah for not only providing support to the ISIS, but also indoctrinating the youth by showing them videos of the outfit and giving lectures on violent jihad.
The case relates to the alleged indoctrination of one Ashfak Majeed, a native of Kerala, who used to frequently visit Mumbai where a few of his relatives are living in.
The NIA filed its chargesheet before a special court in Mumbai under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code where the duo have been charged for "their involvement in unlawful activities and in spreading hatred against India and providing support to the proscribed terrorist organisation, ISIS, by furthering its activities."
The NIA sources said there was mounting evidence which showed that the IRF under controversial televangelist Zakir Naik had been involved in radicalising youth. Some of them hailing from Kerala had been indoctrinated by Arshi. According to the chargesheet, Qureshi who hails from Thane in Mumbai and Abdul Rashid from Kasargod in Kerala along with some other like-minded persons from Kasargod and other members of the IRF had motivated and radicalised Ashfak Majeed and his associates to join the terror group.
The NIA probe has revealed that Abdul Rashid was the main conspirator behind the offence of motivating Ashfak and a number of other youths from Kasargod and Pallakkad districts of Kerala to join the outfit.
"He professed and furthered the activities of the proscribed terrorist organisation, ISIS, by showing them videos of the ISIS and also gave them lectures on violent jihad. He also financed the travel and stay of some of the missing youths," says the agency.
Sources in the NIA said the agency would soon summon Zakir Naik for questioning based on the evidence it had gathered about the involvement of Qureshi and the confessions of a number of radicalised youth arrested for links with the Islamic State.
