New Delhi, Jan 26: The nabbing of Muddabir Mushtaq Sheikh from Mumbra, a suburban Thane district, as part of the countrywide crackdown against the Islamic State (ISIS) that led to the arrest of 14 people, has brought to the fore the systematic recruitment process and the al Qaeda-like hierarchical structure of the terror outfit in India, leaving the central and state agencies worried.
The structure of the outfit was decided by Shafi Arman, the handler of recruitment in India operating from Syria, in 2013, and Sheikh, 33, was made the amir (chief) of Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilal al-Hind, ISIS’s wing in India.
Khalid Ahmed Ali Khalid alias Rizwan, a 20-year-old arrested during the raids in Mumbai, was the second-in-command of IS in India, under whom four other chiefs were nominated, said police sources interrogating the suspects.
He was on Sunday produced before a holiday court of magistrate Amit Launkar in Mumbai and was remanded in police custody till January 30. Khalid sought forgiveness, saying “galti ho gayi saab (I have made a mistake, sahib)”.
According to the police, Khalid played a key role in the indoctrination of Ayaz Sultan, Malwani resident who has gone missing, who was then made a recruiter. Khalid, according to sources, had visited Malwani and stayed with Sultan, and had also met other members, who were indoctrinated by Ayaz.
