Inside the Sadiq Pasha Arrest: Unraveling the Tale of Deception and Terror
From a Church Committee's Intervention to Unveiling a Terrorist's True Identity: The Intriguing Story Behind Sadiq Pasha's Arrest and His Motives Revealed Inside Jail
Thiruvananthapuram: The arrest of suspected ISIS supporter Sadiq Basha in Thiruvananthapuram has renewed concerns about extremists in Kerala. Police took the Tamil man into custody on Tuesday. He had gone to jail for nearly two years before on charges of raising money for the Islamic State. Officers caught him at the Vattiyoorkau Jama Ath mosque with three other people. This happened after he tried pretending to be a cop so he could talk to his estranged wife.
The odd events unfolded at the Vattiyoorkao police station on a busy festival day. Basha had come from Chennai in a car displaying fake police stickers. He hoped to convince his wife, originally from Thiruvananthapuram, to try to save their failing marriage. But his efforts failed. Police became involved after she made a fuss. The case has brought more focus to Basha. Police say he kept visiting Kerala without getting caught after getting out of jail. It has also raised questions about the others with him and why they acted like police. As police thoroughly question Basha, they want to find out if this points to a more extensive network supporting ISIS in South India.
Initial FIR and Transfer to Jail
According to a preliminary FIR filed by police, Basha was trapped by members of the Jama Ath mosque. There were four individuals in Basha’s group. The initial FIR contained no severe charges, only Sections 417 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 117C of the Kerala Police Act. Basha has since been transferred to jail, where he will undergo more thorough interrogation.
Basha, a Tamil Nadu native previously arrested by the NIA who spent 24 months in jail, had traveled from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram in a vehicle bearing a fake police sticker. The car displayed an English sticker reading “POLICE,” which Basha intended to use to persuade his estranged wife to reconcile. However, his efforts to negotiate a settlement with her proved unsuccessful. His wife hails from Thiruvananthapuram originally. The couple had previously pursued a divorce through the mosque.
After Basha created a disturbance at the mosque in his attempt to discuss the matter with his wife, she raised an outcry. Police arrived on the scene directly outside the Vattiurkao police station.
Clarification of Arrest
FIR clarifies that the triggering incident occurred on Attukal Pongala day around 5:30 PM. Police voluntarily registered the case. The four accused were 40-year-old Sadiq Basha, 38-year-old Nurul Haliq, 32-year-old Nasser, and 40-year-old Shahul Hameed. All four men hail from Tamil Nadu state. They stand accused of arriving at the Vatiyoorkav Jamaat premises with a fake police sticker intended to impersonate law enforcement officers.
Police did not fully believe Basha’s claim that he came solely to settle a family dispute. He will undergo thorough questioning at this point.
Vatiyoorkao police responded to a tip that four men had come to the Jamaat committee office impersonating police officers. They discovered the vehicle TN 01 AS 9282 at the scene, which displayed a police sticker. When the men could not produce police identification cards, officers apprehended them.
Previous Arrest
Earlier in February 2022, Tamil Nadu police arrested Basha along with four other men – Muhammad Ashiq, Jagabar Ali, Rahmat and Muhammad Irfan – on charges of threatening police with a firearm in Nidur, near Mayiladuthurai. The NIA later took over the case, regarding it as fundraising for ISIS. Basha’s arrest followed intelligence that he participated in anti-national activities and ISIS recruitment.
Later, in September 2022, the NIA raided Basha’s wife’s home in Thiruvananthapuram’s Vattiyoorkau neighborhood. Sources allege Basha frequently visited Vattiyoorkau after his release from his prior 24-month imprisonment, evading detection by police intelligence.
The arrest of Sadiq Basha marks the latest development in an ongoing investigation by Kerala police and the NIA into potential ISIS recruitment and anti-national activities in South India. Basha’s attempt to use a vehicle disguised as a police car to reconcile with his estranged wife set off a chain of events leading to his apprehension in Thiruvananthapuram.
Police allege Basha had repeatedly visited Kerala to meet his wife despite a prior 24-month incarceration on suspected terrorism-related charges. His claims that he came solely to settle a family dispute are scrutinized thoroughly. The NIA previously raided his wife’s home in connection with a broader ISIS fundraising probe.
Basha’s three associates also face criminal charges for their roles in impersonating police officers. Their intentions remain unclear. Police aim to determine whether the men participated in unlawful activity beyond the impersonation efforts.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by Indian law enforcement to detect and deter potential ISIS recruitment activities in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. A thorough interrogation of Basha and his associates, along with further investigation by Kerala police and the NIA, will shed more light on this developing situation.
