BENGALURU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested ophthalmologist Abdur Rahman (28) from his residence in Basavanagudi here, in connection with an investigation in the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) terror module case. He has been arrested for his alleged ISKP links.
Rahman recently cleared his post-graduation from MS Ramaiah Medical College, the results of which were declared three days ago.
According to the NIA, Rahman has “confessed that he was conspiring with accused Jahanzaib Sami Wani, who was arrested along with his wife Hina Bashir Beigh from Jamianagar in Delhi in March this year, and other Syria-based operatives of the proscribed terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (ISIS) — on messaging platforms like Threema and Telegram — to further the ISIS activities in India,” said an NIA officer.
“Rahman had visited Syria in early 2014 for treating ISIS cadres at a medical camp, had stayed with them for 10 days and returned to India. He was in the process of developing a telemedicine application for helping the injured ISIS fighters in the conflict zones and a weaponry-related application for them,” the officer added.
The son of reputed ophthalmologist Dr Nasrulla Shariff, who has a well-established practice of over 20 years in South Bengaluru,Rahman is known to be “soft spoken, well-mannered and from an educated, moderate family,” said a source who is known to the family.
The NIA investigation in the ISKP module case, which was initially registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell in March this year after the arrest of Wani and his wife Hina, has unearthed a widespread network in
the country.
“The couple has affiliations with the ISKP and were found to be involved in subversive and anti-national activities. They were also in touch with Abdullah Basith of Hyderabad, who was arrested in the ISIS Abu Dabhi module case, which is being investigated by the NIA. Basith is lodged in judicial custody in Tihar Central jail. In July, the NIA had arrested two more accused — Sadiya Anwar Sheikh and Nabeel Siddique Khatri — from Pune for being part of the ISIS/ISKP conspiracy to carry out subversive activities in the garb of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests,” the officer added.
The NIA had carried out searches at three premises belonging to Rahman in the city with the assistance of the Karnataka Police and seized digital devices, mobile phone, laptop containing incriminating material. “He was produced before the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru on Tuesday and will be taken to New Delhi on transit remand for custodial interrogation,” the officer said.
‘College unaware of activities outside campus’
MS Ramaiah Medical College has stated that as per their records, Rahman “passed his MBBS from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute in 2014 and was admitted to our college in 2017 under the government quota through allotment from the Karnataka Examinations Authority. He completed his MS Ophthalmology in July 2020.The college is not aware of his activities outside the campus,”stated a college official.