Ahmedabad: A Syrian national has been arrested by the Crime Branch of Ahmedabad Police on charges of raising money from mosques in Gujarat for victims of the Gaza conflict and using them to fund the lavish lifestyles of members of the gang he belongs to.
Four of his accomplices are absconding. According to the police, the five-member Syrian gang entered India with tourist visas with the intent of committing the fraud. Such activities can pose a threat to the country’s internal security, officials saud. Central and state government agencies are trying to identify the true motive behind his actions.
“The man has been identified as Ali Meghat Al-Azhar. He is a member of a Syrian gang that was raising money from mosques in the name of Gaza victims. Three of his accomplices are absconding,” the Crime Branch said in a release.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that the gang was raising money to fund their lavish lifestyles, it stated. Authorities are not taking his version on face value though. In the past, similar attempts have been made to fund terror, an official said.
The process has started to blacklist and deport Al-Azhar. Authorities have also asked people to be careful before paying such people as the funds could be used by groups inimical to the country’s interests.
The gang was apparently taking advantage of the UN-based IPC declaring a state of famine in Gaza City. This is the first such instance in the Middle East – where over half a million people face catastrophic hunger, with conditions expected to spread to southern regions unless massive aid and a ceasefire are secured.
