Two suspected al-Qaeda operatives, arrested for allegedly radicalising youths for terror activities, were on Thursday remanded to 12-day police custody by a Delhi court.
Arrested accused Maulana Mohammad Abdul Rahman and Zafar Masood, were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh and the Special Cell of Delhi Police moved an application seeking 12-day police remand.
Police told the court that both the accused were required to be interrogated at length to unearth the entire conspiracy and to ascertain the identity of other persons in the module.
“I am satisfied that custodial interrogation of both the accused for a period of 12 days is warranted. Both the accused are remanded to police custody for 12 days,” said the judge.
Police said Rehman runs a madrasa in Uttar Pradesh where several students were enrolled and he was trying to radicalise them for terror activities and Masood was also propagating terror agenda of the al-Qaeda among the youths and was trying to attract them towards the terror outfit.
Besides these two, accused Mohammed Asif, who was arrested earlier, is already in police custody till December 28. While Asif (41), was held from Seelampur in Northeast Delhi, Rahman (37) was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, police said.
Rahman was arrested after a raid by a joint team of the Delhi Police and Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police at his house in Paschimakachha village in Jagatpur area. They have been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
According to the Special Cell, Rahman is suspected to have international links in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. Rahman, who is married and has three children, ran a madrasa at Tangi area near Cuttack.
It said that Asif, along with two youths had left Delhi for Tehran in June 2013, from where they further headed towards the Iran-Pakistan border and crossed it.