Kashmiri couple is part of ISIS’ Khorasan module, arrested from Okhla Vihar: Police
The Special Cell of anti-terrorist unit of the Delhi Police on Sunday arrested from Okhla area in Delhi a Kashmiri couple, having inks with Islamic State (IS) Khorasan module, for engineering protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and inciting young Muslim men to conduct terror strikes all across India.
The accused have been identified as Jahanjeb Sami and his wife Hina Bashir Beg, said Pramod Singh Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell).
The police have seized four mobile phones, a laptop, an external hard-disc and other incriminating materials from their house. According to sources, the couple also instigated the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act agitation in Shaheen Bagh. Police said the couple were planning a suicide attack in Delhi, and was persuading youths to join the ranks of the ISIS.
From the interrogation, it has been found that they had created several anonymous Ids on several social media platforms such as Telegram, Facebook, Threema, Sure spot, Instagram, Twitter, and propagating the ideology of the terror group ISIS.
Investigation by the Delhi Police and central agencies has found incontrovertible evidence of the involvement of ISIS in engineering the protests against the contentious citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The couple was under the surveillance of the agencies. They were found to be in regular touch with the senior ISIS handlers in Afghanistan’s Khorasan province.
They were specifically tasked to exploit the ongoing anti-CAA agitation and incite instigate Muslim youths carry out terror strikes all over India, police sources said.
A team of the Special Cell took the couple Jahanjeb Sami and his wife Hina Bashir Beig into custody on Sunday morning from their C-4, 2nd Floor, Okhla Vihar home. They were found in possession of certain sensitive items and were confronted but they could not give any satisfactory answer.
It has been revealed that Jahanjeb Sami used to work in a private company. The couple also ran a social media platform called “Indian Muslims unite”, which worked towards mobilising support against the CAA and the NRC.
Intelligence officials say that Jahanzab had been in touch with Islamic State’s Khorasan wing Pakistani commander Huzaifa al-Bakistani, who played a key role in efforts to radicalise Kashmiri youngsters to join the terror group. Huzaifa had first joined the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba before upgrading to the ISIS. Huzaifa was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan.
Shaheen Bagh in Southeast Delhi has been witnessing a massive protest against the CAA, where hundreds of women have been conducting a sit-in since December 15.
The riots in Northeast district that singed the national Capital and took the lives of 44 persons (unconfirmed figure is 50 as six more bodies are yet to be identified) and injuring 298, had started as clashes between the anti-CAA protesters and those supporting the law.
The Centre has repeatedly insisted that the protest against the CAA is conspiracy by forces inimical to the interest of the country. The BJP used it extensively during its campaign for the Delhi Assembly elections, held on February 8 this year.