3 Syrian Nationals Detained In Delhi For Illegally Collecting Funds In The Name Of Gaza Relief

The accused men, Zakaria Haitham Alazar, Ahmed Ohad Alhabash, and Yusuf Khalid Alzahar, were apprehended by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch on September 3.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Saturday detained three Syrian citizens for allegedly mobilizing funds across India under the pretext of helping victims in Gaza. The individuals were taken into custody at Delhi Airport after a lookout circular had been issued against them.

According to an India Today report, the arrested men have been identified as Zakaria Haitham Alazar, Ahmed Ohad Alhabash, and Yusuf Khalid Alzahar. They were intercepted on September 3 while attempting to fly from Delhi to Damascus via Dubai.

This arrest comes shortly after another similar incident. Just last month, police apprehended a Syrian national in Ahmedabad for collecting donations from mosques in the name of Gaza relief. He was taken into custody from a hotel in the Ellis Bridge locality. Interestingly, the three men arrested on Saturday had also been residing in the very same hotel.

The individual detained earlier was identified as 23-year-old Ali Meghat Al-Azhar. He was arrested at the Ellis Bridge hotel, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sharad Singhal told PTI. Authorities alleged that instead of using the funds for humanitarian purposes, the accused was spending the money on a luxurious lifestyle.

“Based on a tip-off, we arrested Al-Azhar, a resident of Damascus. We found USD 3,600 and Rs 25,000 in cash from his possession. The other three went underground after his arrest,” Singhal was quoted as saying by PTI.

Entry Into India On Tourist Visas

Investigators revealed that the Syrians had entered India on tourist visas, landing first in Kolkata on July 22 before traveling to Ahmedabad on August 2. They allegedly approached local mosques, displaying distressing visuals of starving people in Gaza, to garner donations.

“They would approach local mosques and seek donations, showing videos of starving people in Gaza to gain sympathy. 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 added.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, working in coordination with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency, is currently investigating the real purpose behind their presence in Gujarat as well as tracing the flow of the money they collected from local mosques.