The police probing the attempted recruitment of a Kochi youth to the Islamic State (IS) have confirmed that Arshi Qureshi and Rizwan Khan, the two suspects arrested from Mumbai, played key roles in converting a woman to Islam and recruiting her to the terrorist outfit.
In a report seeking remand of the accused, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ernakulam, stated that Merin aka Mariyam, a native of Thammanam in Kochi was taken to Mumbai by her husband Bestin alias Yahia and converted to Islam in September 2014.
A police team led by Deputy Police Superintendent Y.R. Rustom, conducted searches in Mumbai and Kalyan and seized documents shedding light on the accused working on behalf of the Juma Musjid of Mumbai Trust to convert the woman to Islam.While Arshi, working as the Guest Relation Officer of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in Mumbai, conspired to convert and recruit the woman to the Islamic State, Rizwan Khan assisted them and also facilitated her trafficking to abroad. Based on the finding, Khan has been arraigned as the third accused in the case and booked under offences including IPC 120 B, 153 A, 370 IPC, Section 13, 39 (a) (i) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967.
Joint operations
Arshi, 45, of Navi Mumbai and Rizwan Khan, 45 of Kalyan, was taken into custody last week in two separate operations by a joint team of the Kerala Police and the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad. They were brought to Kochi on July 24 and the Ernakulam District and sessions Court on Monday remanded the duo in judicial custody for 14 days.
