Kerala cleric with 'radical' links sent to police custody

Kerala-based cleric Mohammad Haneef, who is alleged to have instigated youths and sent them abroad to join radical terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS), was produced before a local court on Sunday and was remanded in police custody till August 20. Two persons, including a former visitor at Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), have already been arrested by the Kerala police in another case.

According to the police, Haneef, who works as a cleric in a local mosque, was nabbed from Kambalakkad in Wayanad district in Kerala on Friday. It is alleged that Haneef was in touch with suspects Arshid Qureshi and Rizwan Khan, who were earlier arrested by the Kerala police in a case of forcible conversion and for instigating youths to join the IS. Haneef is also accused of brainwashing youths.

On August 6, a Dongri-based man had lodged a complaint with the Nagpada police, accusing Qureshi, Khan, Abdul Rashid and Haneef of instigating his son Ashfaque to join the IS. The distraught father, in his complaint, told the police that instigated by them, his son left home for abroad.

The Nagpada police had registered a case under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy. The probe was later taken over by the Mumbai crime branch.

"This looks like a complete module wherein a few men were instrumental in converting youths and instigating them to join the IS. We would interrogate Haneef to understand the functioning of the module and find out if more persons were associated with them," said a crime branch officer.