A 50-year-old moulvi was taken away Wednesday night, by a group of men claiming to be from the Delhi Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS).
Sources in the department says Anzar is part of Al-Qaeda in Indian subcontinent terror module which came into existence in 2014. The Delhi police who are tracking down the movements of the module zeroed in on Anzar after the arrest of his two associates identified Mohammed asif and Abdul rahman in west Bengal.
According to police, Anzar had also helped a Hyderabad based man identified as umar to send him to pak for training. However Azar, who has huge fan following, alleged conspiracy stating that he was against any anti social activities. He condem vices even theft how can he be into anti national activities, says Mohammed Akram one of his disciple. Anzar known for his inflammatory speeches was sacked by mecca mosque committee but was given another chance after he requested and assured to mend his ways. He was struggling hard even to pay rent to the house and take care of his family including three children. If he is part of terror group then he must have had lots of money the supporters says.
Moulana Syed Anzar Shah Khasmi was at the house of one of his students in Ilyas Nagar for dinner when he was called out by some men. They claimed to be from the ATS and wanted to ask him a few questions. Khasmi informed his student Mohammed Asif that he would return in some time, but was not to be seen.
Residents set out on a search of the moulvi . On not finding him, they filed a missing complaint with the K.S. Layout police on Thursday morning. A local autorickshaw driver Jabbar is also missing.
‘Popular’ preacher
Khasmi was preacher in Makkah mosque in Banashankari for the past four years. He had shifted to Ilyas Nagar a month ago.
Khasmi was under the city police scanner for his derogatory speeches. He was earlier working in a Tilak Nagar mosque where he was sacked. Even the Mecca mosque committee where he is currently employed had warned him to mind his ways and not to issue any derogatory speeches. The jurisdictional police who were keeping a close watch on him had asked the committee to furnish the details of Khasmi, but before it was submitted a team from Delhi police came and picked him on Wednesday night from his house in Ilyas Nagar, says Nataz Pasha, head of Mecca mosque committee on Banashankari.
“We do not know why he was taken or whether they were really policemen,” Mr. Asif told The Hindu , adding that the moulvi was popular in the area.
The mosque committee is contemplating legal action to trace the moulvi , he said.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer confirmed that the 50-year-old moulvi had been picked up by Delhi police, but refused to elaborate on the charges under which he had been detained.
