Last year in January, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Deepthi Marlah alias Maryam for alleged links to the terrorist organization ISIS. Marlah, a native of Kodagu in Karnataka, is the wife of Anas Abdul Rahiman, the son of B M Basha whose father Idinabba was once a Congress MLA. Idinabba died in 2009.
The NIA officials had carried out investigations about Maryam on the suspicion that she was involved in a racket to recruit youths to the ISIS network.
It is noteworthy that NIA raided the same house in August 2021 and arrested Ammar, cousin of Anas Abdul Rahiman, for his alleged ISIS links. NIA interrogated Maryam at that time but did not detain her. Reports suggested that in those five months, the security agency gathered enough evidence against her to initiate an arrest for suspected ISIS links.
The arrests, the NIA said, were made in connection with a case of IS recruitment and propaganda it had registered in March 2021.
Deepthi Marlah, a dental doctor by profession, was a Hindu before she got married to Basha. She got ‘attracted’ to Islam when she studied in the UAE. Later, she fell in love with Anas while studying BDS at a college in Deralakatte in Mangalore. She converted to Islam and married Anas. She changed her name to Maryam
Deepti Marlah alias Maryam lured Hindus through honeytrap with the sole intention of converting them to Islam and then make them join ISIS.
During her interrogation by NIA sleuths, Deepthi Marlah alias Maryam revealed that she used to entice Hindu youths through honeytraps, converted them to Islam and tried and recruit them into ISIS. She confessed to converting more than 10 Hindu youths to Islam throughout the state of Karnataka.
Maryam had created more than 15 identities on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram using Hindu and Muslim names.
She used to handle the Instagram Page Chronicle Foundation for ISIS at the instigation of her husband.
Maryam used to lure youths through sexually provocative chats. She reportedly made video calls to Hindu youths after getting acquainted with them. Her sexually provocative conversations used to entice young men and make them fall in love with her. She then promises to get married to them. Once they completely fell into her trap, she use to coerce them to convert to Islam and join ISIS.
If her potential target was a Muslim youth, she used to play the drama of love and provoke them to join ISIS.
The NIA said that due to Maryam’s enticement, four to five youths left for Syria from Kerala in 2020 and 2021. Madesh Perumal alias Abdul, who was arrested in Bengaluru five months before her arrest, had also fallen into the trap of Maryam and had converted to Islam. Madesh Perumal had reportedly promised the handlers of the terrorist organization to carry out bombings in the country. The agency informed that Maryam has spent Rs 10 lakhs to entice Madesh Perumal.
Besides having links with ISIS, the NIA had also revealed that Deepthi Marlah alias Maryam had connections with the terrorist outfit in Jammu and Kashmir.
As per an Indian Express report, NIA said, “During the investigation, it has been revealed that after the decline of ISIS Caliphate in Syria/Iraq, Deepthi Marlah and Mohd. Ameen visited Kashmir in January and March 2020 for Hijrah (religious migration) and for engaging in terrorist acts and supporting the activities of ISIS. The investigation has also revealed that Deepthi Marlah was the kingpin of the instant ISIS conspiracy along with Mohd Ameen.”
Mohd Ameen alias Abu Yahya and two associates, Dr Rahees Rasheed and Mus’Hab Anwar were also among those arrested by NIA in connection to the case registered in March 2021.
Name: Maryam (converted)
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) May 19, 2023
Pre conversion name: Deepthi
NIA arrested her from Mangalore and her brother-in-law Ammar Abdul Rahman from Ullal for suspected ISIS links.
Her biological parents has disowned her through a newspaper ad after she was arrested. pic.twitter.com/8wpJLZr7Wg
Following Deepthi Marlah alias Maryam’s arrest, her parents reportedly disowned her through a newspaper advertisement.
