Man with suspected ISIS links arrested from Kalyan

A man allegedly involved in recruiting youth for ISIS was arrested from Thane in a joint operation by Kerala Police and the Maharashtra ATS as part of the probe in the southern state where several youngsters are suspected to have joined the terror outfit and headed to destinations abroad after being radicalised.

According to a senior ATS officer, Rizwan Khan (43) was picked up from his residence at Kalyan in Thane district on Friday night, within days after arresting a man associated with Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) of controversial preacher Zakir Naik, based on a complaint in Kerala.

On Saturday, he was produced in a local court, which sent him to transit remand till July 25. According to police sources, Khan, allegedly involved in radicalising and recruiting youth for ISIS, will also be taken to Kerala for further investigations, police sources said.

On July 21, Kerala Police, assisted by Maharashtra ATS, arrested Arshi Qureshi, associated with IRF, from Navi Mumbai for allegedly radicalising youth. 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. Based on this, the Kerala police slapped charges under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on the duo and booked them under sections of the IPC.