National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) raided Mufti Khalid Ansari Nadvi’s house in Super Colony at 2.30 am on 12th December regarding a foreign funding and money laundering case in Jhansi district. He has also been investigated in a case involving the spread of terrorist propaganda and the radicalization of people connected to Jaish-e-Mohammed. However, when the authorities were taking him with them for further interrogation, a large number of Muslims in the area surround the NIA convoy with the intention to break Nadvi free from custody.
Jhansi Police informed later in the afternoon that though the mob tried to break Nadvi free, they weren’t successful and additional forces were called to handle the situation. They added that Nadvi was eventually taken into custody and is under probe.
थाना कोतवाली क्षेत्रान्तर्गत एन.आई.ए. व ए.टी.एस. की संयुक्त टीम द्वारा संदिग्ध व्यक्ति को हिरासत में लेकर की जा रही पूछताछ आदि के सम्बन्ध में- pic.twitter.com/BhqcYMy9hP
— Jhansi Police (@jhansipolice) December 12, 2024
It was reported earlier that the mob was successful in breaking Nadvi free. But Jhansi Police have clarified that it was not the case and the mob was dealt with. The accused was taken into custody as per law and is currently under custody.
Mufti Khalid Ansari Nadvi is the nephew of the city Qazi and as the news of his detention spread, his supporters started protesting. He was sent with an investigating team for questioning and after about eight hours when the authorities began to take him with them, a massive crowd was summoned through an announcement from the mosque. Hundreds of women and men surrounded the police and NIA vehicles and tried to forcibly remove Nadvi from there.
The crowd grew and the situation deteriorated. The NIA team tried to reason with the mob but the latter started to argue. A few of them even got enraged. The throng of at least 200 people had surrounded the NIA vehicles to rescue Nadvi. The incident took place at Saleem Bagh Ali Gol Khirki in the Kotwali police station area.
#WATCH | Jhansi | On NIA officials searching his residence, Mufti Khalid says, “Around 2:30-3 in the night, people from NIA Delhi knocked on my door. I did not open out of fear because I was alone and it was late in the night… They checked the entire house thoroughly and they… https://t.co/hTCG50pIct pic.twitter.com/PAWtKyE2HB
— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2024
A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Jhansi had raided super colony near Salim Bagh. The action has been taken in connection with cases related to foreign funding and dubious activities. Mufti Khalid Ansari Nadvi’s house was also searched. He delivers virtual lessons to children and people from India and abroad join his online classes. According to sources, the agency had received information about his foreign contacts and that he received financing from outside the country through these activities.
“Around 2:30-3 in the night, people from NIA Delhi knocked on my door. I did not open out of fear because I was alone and it was late in the night. They checked the entire house thoroughly and they did not find anything. They took whichever books they found suspicious. They took documents like Passport, an old VISA to Saudi Arabia. They checked my phone and enquired about my WhatsApp contacts and groups. They asked about Muhammad Ilyas Ghuman. I run an online Islamic coaching centre where I teach Indian and NRI students. They checked my bank statements as well,” Nadvi informed while talking to media.
He added, “I have been doing online for 11 years. My fee ranges from 50 rupees to 1500 rupees. The team asked me about foreign funding. They inquired ‘Did you transfer money abroad’ to which I responsed with not at all. They were saying that they would take me to the police line and interrogate me.”
City Qazi Mufti Sabir Ansari stated that Nadvi was his nephew. He added, “He religiously teaches Urdu and Quran to children all over the world. NIA’s team arrived at 3 am. They interrogated him but recovered nothing. Afterwards, they informed that he will be taken to police line for further questioning. The people then demanded that he should be questioned here when he did not do anything. They asked why did they need to take him? He has been an online teacher for 10-12 years. We want justice and things to be improved. NIA people have not told anything, except he teaches in an institution and then took computer and other study materials from home.”
The locals alleged harassment of Nadvi for no reason and clashed with the authorities for a long time during the incident. On the other hand, the NIA team confiscated several important documents and electronic devices from his house, which will be sent to Delhi for investigation. The local administration and the police are also cooperating in this case.
Note: An earlier version of this report mentioned that Nadvi was rescued from NIA custody by the mob. However, Jhansi Police have clarified that it was not the case and the accused was taken into custody and the mob was handled peacefully with the help of additional police personnel.
