AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested a 23-year-old Syrian national for posing as a Gaza war victim to collect donations from mosques, which police say he diverted to fund his luxurious lifestyle. Officials warned the racket poses a potential threat to national security as some of his associates are suspected to have gone underground in India.
The accused, identified as Ali Meghat Alzaher, was intercepted after police received a tip-off about foreigners visiting mosques in Ahmedabad under the guise of Gaza victims, he also allegedly posed as a victim of the war. “During our search, we intercepted Alzaher, whose profile looked suspicious. On questioning, he admitted to the fraud,” a senior Crime Branch officer said.
During interrogation, Alzaher confessed that he was a Shia Muslim from Damascus, Syria, currently staying in a city hotel on a tourist visa. He admitted to travelling across Indian cities and, by falsely claiming to be a Gaza citizen, raising money from worshippers. Investigators said marks on his body suggested war injuries, but officials maintained he was “using those scars deliberately to evoke sympathy.”
Police added that Alzaher pretended to speak only fluent Arabic to strengthen his deception and mislead the investigation. More worryingly, he disclosed that “others like me have also entered India, and while I was caught, they have already gone underground.”
The probe revealed that Alzaher travelled to India with a group assembled in Lebanon before arrival. Police have seized the passports of his suspected companions and are verifying their authenticity. “We are checking whether these passports are genuine or fake,” an officer said.
State and central agencies have questioned him, and the Crime Branch has begun proceedings to blacklist and deport him. “He has clearly violated visa rules, and legal action is underway,” officials confirmed.
Investigators have also launched a financial probe to establish what the gang intended to do with the donations collected in Indian cities. Officials suspect possible misuse of charity money for undisclosed purposes.
The case unfolds against the backdrop of Gaza City’s official declaration of famine by the UN-backed IPC, its first in the Middle East—where over half a million people face catastrophic hunger, with conditions expected to spread to southern regions unless massive aid and a ceasefire are secured.