In a 12-hour-long intense operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted raids on at least 10 premises linked to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s banned outfit Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), including an office of Peace TV and residences of several office-bearers and froze a bank account in the metropolis.
Hours after they registered a case against Naik and his outfits under 153-A of IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion etc... and various Sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the investigators carried elaborate searches on various premises linked to Naik — including the head office of IRF and its four branches.
Also raided were an old office of IRF, a women’s centre and an office that was readying content for telecast on Naik’s Peace TV programmes.
The raids, which began at 5 am a couple hours after the NIA registered an offence against Naik and his outfits, continued till 6 pm, informed official sources said.
Having concentrated on the various offices linked to IRF, the NIA officials carried searches of the residences of office-bearers and officials of IRF and Peace TV. Among the IRF office-bearers whose premises were raided were the residences belonging to Naik’s immediate family members who are holding posts in his controversial NGO and private television channel.
Among other places, the investigators conducted searches at Naik’s doctor-brother Mohammed and their mother, two sisters and others.
In a significant move, the investigators froze an IRF account with the Dongri branch of the Development Credit Co-operative Bank ltd. Naik’s IRF reportedly uses this account to py salaries of its school staffers and meet other expenses of the Foundation.
Sources said that the investigators seized some incriminating documents relating to IRF and the activities of Naik. However, the NIA was tight-lipped on the seizure of materials and documents made during the simultaneous raids conducted on various locations.
The NIA, which took over the investigations from the Mumbai in mid-October, registered an FIR against on Friday Naik’s lawyer Mobin Solkar claimed that the FIR registered by the NIA was “illegal” considering that another case for the same purported crime had been registered in 2012.
Naik, who came under the scanner of the Mumbai police and Central Investigating Agencies after a terrorist attack that took place in Dhaka Bangladesh on July 1, in which 22 persons were killed. Naik’s name had figured in the investigations into the Dhaka café attack after two of the seven terrorists who hacked to death 22 people in the attack, had claimed that they were “inspired” by him.
Naik was to returned to India in the second week of week of July this year, had stayed back in Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Currently, he is reportedly somewhere in Africa.
Fifty-year-old Naik, who is the founder of Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and Peace TV, is being investigated for several provocative speeches and his role in terror propaganda.
At the state level, the special branch officials of the Mumbai police and the Maharashtra’s Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigated his various activities including source of funding for his organization, the central agencies established his ubious links with Peace TV, an international Islamic channel.
Naik, whose speeches have been countries like UK, Canada and Malaysia, is alleged to have radicalized scores of Muslim youths and instigated them into terror activities.
On his part, Naik had gone on record claiming that he had never supported any terrorist organisation and expressed “shock” over the “media trial” linking him to the recent terror attack in Dhaka.
In a statement released to the media, Naik said: “According to me, the media is the most important weapon in the world. It can convert a hero into villain or even a villain into a hero…I’m shocked at the media trial on me regarding the recent terrorist attack that took place in Dhaka Bangladesh on 1st July 2016”.
“Most of the clips shown on the television of myself are either out of context, half statements or doctored. So are my statements in the print media,” Naik had stated.