BHUBANESWAR: A 37-year-old Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) native, who impersonated as an Army doctor and senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of state Crime Branch for alleged anti-national activities from Jajpur district on Saturday.
Hailing from Handwara in J&K’s Kupwara district, Sayed Ishaan Bukhari is alleged to have links with at least two Pakistani nationals. He was also in contact with suspicious persons in Kerala.
Sources said STF has seized four mobile phones belonging Bukhari and managed to unlock two of them. In one of the devices, the officials have reportedly found Bukhari’s suspicious chats with a person in Kerala. The chats between the duo suggested Bukhari agreed to send youths from Kashmir to Kerala.
Sources said central agencies, Crime Branch STF and Punjab Police are investigating whether Bukhari had actually sent youths to the southern state and for what purpose.
Preliminary investigation revealed, Bukhari used to impersonate as an Army doctor, a neurosurgeon and even a senior officer at the PMO. He also used to fake his identity as an associate of officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
“A detailed probe has been launched to ascertain whether Bukhari has links with Pakistan’s ISI or any terror activities,” inspector general of STF JN Pankaj told mediapersons here.
Acting on a tip-off, the STF conducted a raid at Bukhari’s rented accommodation in Neulpur on Friday. Forged medical degree certificates of Cornell University in the US, Canadian Health Services Institute, Christian Medical College in Vellore and others were found from him. This apart, incriminating materials including more than 100 documents including blank signed documents, affidavits and bonds, several identity and ATM cards, blank cheques, Aadhaar cards and visiting cards were seized from his rented premises.
The STF said the accused had also married six to seven women from different parts of the country like Odisha, J&K, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
He was active on various websites and apps and was in relationship with several girls by impersonating as a doctor with international degrees. He had been staying in Jajpur since 2018 after marrying a woman who is reportedly a teacher by profession. Bukhari is wanted by J&K Police in connection with a case relating to cheating and forgery and a non-bailable warrant is pending against him.
Punjab Police had earlier registered a case against Bukhari’s father under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
A case has been registered under sections 419,420,465,467,468,471 and 120B of IPC and sections 66C and 66D of Information Technology (IT) Act. STF has requested a court here to take the accused on seven-day remand for further questioning.