2 women reportedly held by NIA in Kerala for ISIS links

Two women from Kannur district in north Kerala were held by the NIA on charges of involvement in activities for the ISIS.

Mizha Siddeeque and her cousin Shifa Haris alias Ayesha were arrested from Kannur on Tuesday. Five other Malayalis were also arraigned in the case registered by the NIA.

According to an official statement from NIA, Mizha and Shifa were affiliated with the ISIS.

Mizha had travelled to Tehran along with their associates to join the ISIS in Syria. As per the instruction of prime accused Mohammed Ameen alias Abu Yahya hailing from Malappuram district, she created an Instagram page to propagate, radicalise and recruit gullible Muslim youths for ISIS. She had also radicalised two of her cousins, also from Kannur, and Shifa and was motivating them to join ISIS. They were also arraigned in the case.

Shifa, on the direction of Mizha and Mushab transferred funds to Mohammad Waqar Lone for supporting ISIS activities. Shifa was also willing to perform 'Hijrah' (migration) to ISIS-controlled territory.

Dr Rahees Rashid and Rahul Manoharan from Kollam district are the others arraigned as accused in the FIR registered by the NIA Delhi unit.

The investigation was initiated on the basis of intelligence information regarding formation of group of radicalised individuals by Mohammed, the first accused. He ran ISIS propaganda channels on various social media platforms like Telegram, Hoop and Instagram. Violent Jihadi ideologies of ISIS were being propagated to radicalise and recruit members. The group planned religious migration to Jammu and Kashmir for terrorist activities. Various sections of UAPA were invoked.