On Saturday (6th September), three Syrian nationals were arrested at the Delhi airport on charges of illegally raising funds for ‘Gaza relief.’
According to a report by India Today, the accused were identified as Ahmed Ohad Alhabash, Zakaria Haitham Alazar and Yusuf Khalid Alzahar.
The trio was apprehended at the Delhi airport on Wednesday (3rd September) while trying to board a flight to Damascus.
The Crime Branch of the Ahmedabad police had previously issued a lookout notice against them.
Earlier, another Syrian national named Ali Meghat Al-Azhar was arrested in Ahmedabad for collecting donations from local mosques in the name of ‘Gaza relief’ and using the money to fund a lavish lifestyle.
The police recovered ₹25000 in cash and 3600 US dollars (~₹3.17 lakhs) from Ali Meghat Al-Azhar. All of them came to India on a tourist visa. They first landed in Kolkata on 22nd July and then moved to Gujarat on 2nd August.
“They would approach local mosques and seek donations, showing videos of starving people in Gaza to gain sympathy,” stated Joint Commissioner of Police Sharad Singhal.
“They claimed that they were collecting funds for providing food to the needy people in Gaza. But we did not find any evidence that they were sending funds to Gaza,” he further emphasised.
