By Anand Singh
New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS): Abdur Rahman aka Dr Brave, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last year in the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) case, was misusing his medical knowledge to develop laser-guided missile system for the banned terror group, the central agency has said.
Rahman had studied ophthalmology and hence knew about the use of ophthalmic lasers in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and posterior capsular opacity.
These details were revealed in the NIA chargesheet filed against Rahman in a special NIA court in Delhi on Tuesday under the IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Rahman, 28, a resident of Karnataka's Bengaluru, was charge-sheeted for furthering the ISIS/ISKP ideology and activities in connivance with co-accused Jahanzaib Sami Wani and others for subversive or anti-national activities in India.
He was arrested on August 17 last year from Bengaluru.
An NIA official privy to the probe told IANS on the condition of anonymity: "Rahman had begun to develop a window-based application 'Helpinmeds' through which medical assistance for injuries or common diseases could be given through online consultation."
The official said that since the app could record signs and symptoms of the disease and gave a probable diagnosis and possible line of treatment by health worker in a distant location, it could be misused to treat many ISIS operatives, the official claimed.
The official said that Rahman was planning to make the application both "online and offline" for possible use by ISIS terrorists even if doctors were not available for their treatment.
"Rahman was using his knowledge of ophthalmic lasers for developing a project on laser-guided system through which the trajectory of an unguided missiles can be changed with laser technology for the benefit of ISIS."
The official said that the "basic components" for such system are pulse transmitters and receivers, which are same or almost similar in flight circuits or ophthamology nanosecond lasers and could be used to guide missiles or rockets or payloads towards intended targets.
According to the NIA, Rahman was radicalised when he was a student of MBBS at the Bangalore Medical College while listening to online lectures of hardline Islamic preachers, including 'Anwar Awlaki'.
The NIA officials claimed that Rahman came in contact with other radicalised youths and even travelled to Syria in December 2013 to participate in terrorist activities of ISIS.
The official pointed out that after his return to India, he continued to be associated with ISIS ideology.
The NIA filed a charge sheet in September 2020 against Jahanzaib Sami Wani, his wife Hina Bashir Beigh, both residents of Jammu and Kashmir but residing in Delhi's Okhla area, Abdullah Basith of Telangana's Hyderabad, Sadiya Anwar Shaikh, and Nabeel Siddick Khatri, both residents of Maharashtra's Pune.
Basith is lodged in Delhi's Tihar Central Jail in connection with another ISIS module case.
Delhi Police Special Cell had registered a case in March 2020 after the arrest of Wani and his wife from Okhla Vihar in Jamia Nagar area here for alleged links with the ISKP. The NIA took over the probe on March 20 last year.
Last year, an NIA official had alleged that the charge-sheeted accused were provoking gullible youths to participate in anti-CAA protests in the national capital last year.