Bhubaneswar: Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch of Odisha Police has arrested a fraudster with suspected terror links from Dharmashala area of Jajpur district.
The accused has been identified as Syed Ishan Bukhari aka Dr Syed Ishan Bukhari, a native of Handwara in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. The STF has seized several incriminating documents and four mobile phones from his possession.
“He is a Kashmiri youth who was staying in the Dharmashala area of Jajpur district. In fact he also got married here. His activities were suspicious. Based on reliable information we conducted a raid following all due procedures. We found that he is a Kashmiri youth Ishan Bukhari who posed as a doctor though he is not. During the raid we seized over a hundred incriminating documents,” informed Jay Narayan Pankaj, IG, STF, CID Crime Branch briefing reporters here.
The IG, STF said that the seized incriminating documents include various identity cards, ATM cards, bank documents, affidavits, blank signed documents and legal documents.
“We also came to know that he had communication with some suspicious elements of Kerala and also with a few Pakistani nationals. We also came to know that he was not a doctor but was impersonating a doctor. The seized documents include certificates issued by very well-known medical colleges and institutions of the world like from medical colleges of USA, Canada, CMC Vellore, etc. He used to project himself as a neurosurgeon/neuro specialist, and Army doctor, while several people knew him as an officer in the PMO. He also some people that he has contacts with top officials of the NIA,” revealed STF, IG Pankaj.
Pankaj while stating that the accused is a big fraudster added that he has cases against him in Kashmir.
While admitting that they don’t have complete details of the cases against the accused, Pankaj said that there is a warrant issued against him in Kashmir.
The STF, IG informed that accused Bukhari has married six to seven times or even more in Kashmir, Maharashtra, UP and even in Odisha.
“He used to contact his victims through different Apps and still is in contact with several girls by projecting himself as a doctor. We will be contacting Kashmir and Punjab police,” the STF, IG stated.
“More details will come out. We have seized four mobile phones from him. However, most of his communication was through Apps. He had communication with suspicious elements of Kerala and Pakistani nationals. He had links with anti-national elements but we don’t know the extent of his role. We have enough evidence that he is a fraudster as far as his role from the terror angle is under our scrutiny. It is very early we cannot say anything right at this moment. But his has links. We don’t have enough evidence to establish the terror angle,” clarified Pankaj.
The STF, IG informed that he has been staying in the Jajpur area since 2018.
He said the STF will get the accused on a seven-day remand for further interrogation.
