The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against Abdur Rehman, an ophthalmologist from Basavanagudi,who was arrested in August 2020 in connection with a case related to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP). It was filed in the Special NIA Court, New Delhi, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The 28-year-old doctor who worked at M.S. Ramaiah Medical College has been charged with furthering the ideology and activities of proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS/ISKP in connivance with five other accused in the case for committing subversive and anti-national activities in India. He allegedly used his medical knowledge of ophthalmic lasers and other devices to develop applications for the medical and military requirements of ISIS.
“He achieved significant progress towards developing a medical application for treatment of ISIS terrorists and also developed Laser guided Anti-Tank Missile application for controlling the trajectory of the missiles to enhance their effectiveness for furthering the cause of ISIS,” said the NIA in a release.
ISKP is the Islamic State’s Central Asian province which covers Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The group is accused of carrying out several attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Earlier, NIA officials had filed chargesheets against five people in connection with the case: Jahanzaib Sami and Hina Bashir Beigh from Srinagar, Abdullah Basith from Hyderabad and Sadiya Anwar Shaikh and Nabeel Siddick Khatri, both residents of Pune.
In March 2020, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Jahanzaib and his wife Hina for alleged links with the ISKP. According to the officials, the couple was planning subversive activities in India. The NIA, which took over the probe, arrested a journalism student Sadiya Anwar Sheikh, 20, and Nabeel Siddick Khatri, both residents of Pune, who were also allegedly part of the ISKP module in July 2020.
According to the NIA, they were part of the conspiracy to carry out ‘subversive activities in the garb of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests’.
Their arrests led the police to Abdur Rahman who was arrested in Bengaluru. “During the investigation it was revealed that Rahman while studying at Bangalore Medical College, got radicalised, after listening to the online lectures of hard line Islamic preachers including Anwar Awlaki,” said the NIA.
Subsequently, he came into contact with other radicalised youth and travelled to Syria in December, 2013, where he allegedly participated in various terrorist activities of ISIS. After his return to India, he continued to remain associated with the ideology of ISIS, said the NIA in a media release.
Further investigation is on in the case.
