Gujarat: Syrian Citizen Held For Collecting Gaza Donations, Misusing Fund For Personal Luxury
Ahmedabad, Gujarat: A Syrian man was arrested in India’s Gujarat for allegedly raising funds from mosques in the name of needy Palestinians in Gaza and using those funds for personal luxury. Three of his friends, also Syrians, who are believed to be compatriots in the crime are still at large, and a search is underway to locate them.
The accused were found to be using the money collected for the war-torn Gaza victims and living their lavish lifestyle with the fund. The Syrian man, 23-year-old Ali Meghat Al-Azhar, was arrested from a hotel in the Ellis Bridge area, according to Crime Branch Joint Commissioner of Police, Sharad Singhal.
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The other persons who were staying in the same hotel were identified as Zakaria Haitham Alzar, Ahmed Alhabash and Yousef Al-Zahar. The police said they received information about the alleged financial fraud, and thus arrested Damascus resident Al-Azhar. The officials found 3,600 US dollars and Rs 25,000 in cash in his possession.
The police have issued a look-out notice against the Syrians who are on the run, so that they can not flee India. The Syrians reportedly arrived in India on a tourist visa on July 22.
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After reaching Ahmedabad on August 2, the accused started visiting local mosques seeking donations in the name of Palestinians in Gaza. They showed videos of starving people, claiming that they are raising funds to provide food and aid for the people of Gaza.
The police said they could not find any evidence that the accused were sending the collected funds to Gaza. The man also admitted that the gang was raising money to fund its members’ lavish lifestyle during the questioning.
However, the recovery of US dollars and the documents regarding some digital transactions have prompted the officials to conduct a detailed investigation. The Ahmedabad police’s crime branch, along with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad and National Investigation Agency would examine the exact motive behind the Syrians’ arrival to India, and where the funds they collected were sent.
The government has started the process of blacklisting and deporting the arrested Syrian nationals.
