Zakir Naik’s Foundation May Have Funded 300 People With IS Links

An investigation carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed that funds from Zakir Naik's banned Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) might have supported at least 300 people with IS links, according to The New Indian Express.

This came to light following NIA searches for three days at 20 premises during which records related to bank accounts and other financial activities linked with Naik and IRF were seized.

The NIA on Wednesday asked three banks to freeze 25 accounts of controversial preacher Zakir Naik, his family members and IRF, which has been banned under anti-terror law.

NIA is also planning to prepare a thorough list of IRF members not based in India to obtain more information about the funding, reports DNA.

In addition to it, NIA has handed over a list of over 12 people, including Naik, his family members, close friends and organisations, to all 72 scheduled commercial banks to check whether these people had any account in these financial institutions.

The agency has claimed to have found documents showing that IS recruit Abu Anas had received Rs 80,000 from the IRF as scholarship in October 2015. After these documents were analysed by NIA, it had moved to block his bank accounts. A Tonk resident, Anas who is an engineer by profession, was arrested by the NIA in January for allegedly planning to carry out a terror strike ahead of Republic Day.

The NIA has also written to Union Home Ministry for banning the website run by the IRF and as well as suspending its online activities.

With inputs from PTI.