Bengaluru doctor making apps for ISIS arrested by NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested doctor for his alleged links with the banned terrorist outfit Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and offshoot of ISIS. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

28-year-old Abdur Rahman who is a doctor by profession was arrested from his residence in Basavangudi in Bengaluru. The NIA has said that he is in contact with the Islamic State. He was working as an Ophthalmologist at M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore.

During interrogation, Rahman confessed that he was conspiring with Jahanzaib Sami and other Syria-based ISIS operatives on secure messaging platforms to further ISIS activities, NIA said in a statement.

Significantly, Rahman had visited an ISIS medical camp in Syria in early 2014 for treatment of ISIS terrorists and stayed with Islamic State operatives for 10 days and returned to India, the NIA said.

"Rahman 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," the agency said.

After arresting Rahman, NIA carried out searches at 3 premises belonging to him in Bengaluru with the assistance of Karnataka Police and seized digital devices, mobile phone, laptop containing incriminating material.

They were also found to be in touch with Abdullah Basith, who was already lodged in Tihar jail in another NIA case (ISIS Abu Dabhi Module), the agency said, During the further investigation in the case, NIA arrested two more accused — Sadiya Anwar Sheikh and Nabeel Siddick Khatri — both residents of Pune, for being part of the conspiracy to "further the activities of ISIS/ISKP in India" and to "carry out subversive activities in the garb of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests".

The arrested accused will be produced before the NIA Special Court at New Delhi and NIA remand will be sought for his custodial interrogation, the agency said. Further investigation in the case is continued, NIA said.

(With inputs from agencies)