Woman rescues herself from getting victimized to ‘forcibly’ conversion in Kerala

Kochi, January 12: Kerala been a hotbed of terrorism and radical Islamisation two people were arrested for helping Muslim man ‘forcibly’ converting a Kerala 25- year old woman further to take her to Syria and enroll her in Islamic State IS. Fortunately, after the woman files complaint, she was flown back to her family with the help of her friends. 

“We have identified eight to 10 people, mostly from north Kerala and Karnataka, who were involved in the conversion bid. They include a woman from Bengaluru and a couple of lawyers from Kerala, all of whom will be called for interrogation,” said a top officer of Kerala police.

Fayaz and Siyad, both natives of North Paravur near Kochi, were arrested on Wednesday following investigations based on a complaint by the 25-year-old woman, who was rescued from Saudi Arabia and brought home last year by her family. The two are friends of Muhammad Riyaz from Thalassery in Kannur district.

After taking her to Saudi Arabia, Riyaz made the woman watch videos of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. Due to this, the woman became aware and flew back to her parents with the help of a family friend.

"They have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act," Ernakulam Rural SP A V George said. Further he said the police have begun a probe into their alleged link with the Islamic State terrorists.

George said both Fayaz and Siyad were arrested based on the woman's complaint that she was allegedly tortured by them in a house in North Paravoor before Riyaz took her abroad. The woman had alleged that Riyaz pretended to be in love with her when she was studying in Bengaluru in 2014 and forced her to convert to Islam and married her.

The woman from Pathanamthitta was brought up in Gujarat. She had moved the Kerala High Court last year seeking an NIA probe against Riyaz for attempting to take her to Syria from Saudi Arabia and sell her to the Islamic State terrorists as a sex slave. She has also alleged that her marriage was registered using bogus documents.