ATS seizes 800 papers from ‘IS man’

Maharashtra and Kerala Anti-Terrorism Squad officials, who had arrested Kalyan resident Rizwan Khan on Friday for allegedly having links with ISIS, have seized from his home 800 documents of people who have converted to Islam, and have also confiscated certain electronic gadgets. Khan and Aarshi Qureshi, who has also been arrested for alleged links with ISIS, were taken to Kochi on Sunday.

The Kerala police — who registered a case in Kochi against Qureshi (42) and arrested him and Khan on Friday for forcing youths to convert to Islam and for allegedly recruiting youths to ISIS — took the duo to Kochi on Sunday for further investigations, said officials from Thane.

According to sources, investigating officials who were searching Khan’s house found 800 documents related to people who have converted to Islam. “Khan gave a statement regarding this matter, saying he used to work for various Islamic organisations in India. He used to prepare documents and affidavits for people who wanted to willingly convert to Islam, he said. He added that his only work was to make the documents for them and he didn’t know whether they were forced to convert or not,” said a source. Officials are now scrutinising all the seized documents.

Khan was produced in court on Saturday, after which he was remanded to ATS custody till July 25. The Maharashtra ATS, along with the Kerala ATS, is investigating this case.

A case has been registered against Qureshi in Kochi under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 153A (promoting enmity between groups), as well as under relevant clauses of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

The Kerala police had traced Qureshi to Mumbai following a complaint lodged in Kochi by the brother of a young woman who is suspected to have joined ISIS along with her husband. Ebin Jacob (25) — the brother of Merin alias Mariam, who is missing along with her husband Bestin Vincent alias Yahia — had told the police in Kochi that there had been an attempt to have him forcibly convert to Islam and join ISIS, and that Bestin and Qureshi were behind it.