Bihar police nab two more from Mangalore over money trail

The number of arrests made by Bihar police scouring over Karnataka for terror funding agents has gone to four, all those arrested hailing from Mangalore.

Past week, the Bihar police had arrested two men who had disguised themselves as beedi rollers. The police returned to Mangalore and picked up two more men.

According to police sources, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Mushtaq were arrested and produced before the magistrate. The Bihar police were given transit custody of the duo.

Earlier past week, Zubair and his estranged wife Ayesha were arrested after the police found out that they had used the Indian banking system to conduit money from different accounts to terror links of Indian Mujahideen operatives. This time, Bihar police said they arrested Asif and Mushtaq for money trail, and that money might not be for terror operatives. Asif and Mushtaq were in constant touch with Zubair and Ayesha through cell phones.

Ayesha had been a Kodava Hindu until she converted to Islam seven years ago, before her marriage to Zubair. Before conversion, her name was Asha. Soon after, she and Zubair moved to Mangalore and Zubair got a job in Saudi Arabia.

Though Ayesha was getting money from her husband, she chose to work as a beedi roller and lived in a dilapidated house in Mangalore. Zubair and Ayesha were arrested following the arrest of the kingpin of Indian Mujahiedeen, Yaseen Bhatkal, at Nepal-Bihar border.

The Sangh parivar outfits, however, drummed up their theory of ‘Love Jihad’ in the case of Asha becoming Ayesha and being used for terror work.