Dubai-based Indian funded girls to join ISIS at Pakistan man's behest: NIA

New Delhi: Three girls from the Philippines and Tunisia, who were alleged to be ISIS sympathisers, were given money by a Dubai-based Indian supporter of the terror outfit on the instructions of a Pakistani national, the NIA has said.

The agency has claimed that Maharashtra resident Mohammed Farhan Shaikh, who was arrested in 2016 along with two others after being deported from the UAE for alleged ISIS links, had funded these girls, after money was given to him in Dubai by one Khalid, who is alleged to be from Pakistan.

NIA has alleged that Shaikh, who was in Dubai in 2015, had transferred 3894.24 United Arab Emirates Dirham (UAED) to a Tunisian girl, Sarra Ghribi, who wanted to join ISIS, in seven instalments through the global payment service, Western Union, between February 5, 2015 and April 24 that year.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed before a court here that Shaikh had transferred 1257.63 UAED and 846.75 UAED to Jannah Qassim and Johaira L Macasimpang, residents of Philippines, on June 24, 2015.

In his disclosure statement recorded by NIA which has been annexed in the charge sheet, Shaikh has claimed that in January 2015, he got in touch with Ghribi through Facebook. She was a "supporter and sympathiser" of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

"She (Ghribi) was interested to join ISIS. She approached me and asked for money. Same thing I told to Khalid that there is a Tunisian girl who wants to go to Syria and she needs money. He told me to come to his showroom and over there, Khalid gave me 1300 Dirham and I paid that money to Sarra Ghribi.”

"Later, Khalid gave me 5000 Dirham to give to Ghribi. On June 2, 2015, Khalid deposited 5000 Dirham in my bank account. I paid 5000 Dirham in total to Ghribi. I made all the money transaction through Western Union," Shaikh has said.

Shaikh has claimed in his disclosure statement that he had met Khalid, who used to work in a car showroom in Dubai, for the first time in February 2015 and in that meeting, he was given money to pay to Ghribi. Shaikh also said that in June 2015, Khalid told him to pay money to the two girls from Philippines.

In its charge sheet, the agency has alleged that "KK (Khalid) and accused number 3 (Shaikh) had connived to raise, collect and transfer funds to Sarra Ghribi of Tunisia and two persons namely Jannah Qassim and Johaira L Macasimpang, residents of Philippines, affiliated to ISIS".

Besides Shaikh, the two other arrested accused in the case are Sheikh Azhar Ul Islam, a permanent resident of Ganderbal in Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka-based Adnan Hassan.

They have been chargesheeted for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The agency has alleged that these accused, in connivance with others, had supported and invited support for ISIS and had assisted in arranging and managing meetings online among the active operatives of the banned terror outfit.

The accused were arrested on January 29 last year after being deported from the UAE.