Bengaluru Doctor Who Treated ISIS Terrorists In Syria Arrested, Was Building App For Them

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a doctor from Bengaluru for his alleged ISIS links.

Abdur Rahman who was working as an ophthalmologist at the MS Ramaiah Medical College was arrested on Monday from his residence in Basavangudi in Bengaluru.

BCCL

According to the NIA, Rahman had traveled to Syria and visited an ISIS medical camp in early 2014 for the treatment of terrorists for 10 days and returned to India.

The NIA further said that the 28-year-old was in the process of developing a medical application for helping injured IS cadres in conflict zones and a weaponry-related application for the benefit of IS fighters.

NIA got inputs on Rahman's involvement with the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) while probing another case in Delhi.

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The ISKP case was initially registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell in March, 2020, after the arrest of a Kashmiri couple - Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh - from Okhla Vihar, Jamia Nagar in the national capital.

The couple - having affiliations with the ISKP, an affiliate group of ISIS - were allegedly involved in subversive and anti-national activities and were in touch with a member of the Abu Dhabi module of the ISIS, Abdullah Basith, who was arrested in a separate NIA case and is lodged in Tihar jail.

"During interrogation, arrested accused Abdur Rahman confessed that he was conspiring with accused Jahanzaib Sami and other Syria-based ISIS operatives on secure messaging platforms to further ISIS activities," said the NIA.

Rehman was also reportedly in touch with journalism student Sadiya Anwar Sheik, and her associate Nabeel Siddick Khatri, residents of Pune for their terror links.

Rehman was updating them about the anti-CAA protests in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Following his arrest, the MS Ramaiah Medical College issued a statement on Tuesday denouncing knowledge of Dr Abdur Rahman's alleged link to ISPK.

MS Ramaiah Medical College

"Abdur Rahman completed his MBBS from Bangalore Medical College Research Institute in 2014 and was admitted to MS Ramaiah Medical College in 2017 under government quota with a reference from the Karnataka Examinations Authority. He completed MS Ophthalmology after writing exams in July this year," the statement by the MS Ramaiah Medical College said.

Recently, the United Nations (UN) in a report had warned that ¡°significant numbers of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists¡± in Kerala and Karnataka.

The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities said that the al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan.

The group reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.