UAE deports Kashmiri techie over suspected terror links with IS
36yearold engineer from Chattatabal was deported on August 14; NIA interrogated him for two days
SRINAGAR: A Kashmiri man, suspected to be a sympathiser of the banned Islamic state terror group, was recently deported to India from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials said here on Sunday.
Irfan Ahmad Zargar, 36, a resident of Chattatabal area on the outskirts of Srinagar, was allegedly deported from the Gulf country on August 14.
He was subjected to questions by various security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), they added.
The NIA interrogated him for two days before handing him over to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, who were carrying out detailed investigations.
NO PENDING CASE IN J&K
However, there was no case pending against him in the state.
Zargar, an engineer, had allegedly shown active support to IS activities in Syria on social media, the officials said. He was picked up by the authorities in Dubai on April 28 this year when he was entering into the Gulf country from Oman, the officials said.
The detectives in Dubai questioned him about his activities on social networking sites, especially his appreciation of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria activities) in Syria and Iraq.
Working with a telecom company in Dubai, Zargar maintained that he had travelled to Oman for setting up a business of handicrafts.
The Dubai officials had carried out thorough search of his apartments in Sharjah and later whisked him away to an undisclosed location.
He was deported to India on August 14.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had also been approached by one of his kin on her Twitter handle asking for help. The minister had assured them help and the Indian Consulate General in Dubai had initiated a hunt for the man.
DUBAI AUTHORITIES REFUSED TO ENTERTAIN PLEA
However, the Dubai authorities had refused to entertain any plea until they had not completed their own investigation in the case.
Zargar is the third Kashmiri to have been deported for allegedly being sympathiser of a terror group.
Afshan Parvaiz of Srinagar was deported from Turkish capital of Ankara on May 25.
Parvaiz had left home after an argument with his father, who wanted him to join a college while he was interested in religious studies. He booked himself a seat on a Teheran flight on March 23 and was later deported after he crossed into Turkey.
Azhar-ul Islam of Ganderbal was deported from the UAE last year for being an “ISIS sympathiser”.
HE WAS PICKED UP BY THE AUTHORITIES IN DUBAI ON APRIL 28 THIS YEAR WHEN HE WAS ENTERING INTO UAE FROM OMAN