Odisha Crime Branch takes Kashmiri fraudster Bukhari on 5-day remand

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch (CB) has taken Kashmiri fraudster Ishaan Bukhari on a five-day remand for further interrogation. 

As per reports, after the arrest, Bukhari is currently lodged at Ragadi sub-jail in Jajpur. The National Investigating Agency (NIA), Punjab Police, and Kashmir Police are also likely to join the probe in Odisha to ascertain Bukhari’s possible terrorist links. The STF produced Bukhari at the JMFC court at Chandikhole on Monday and the court allowed the agency to take the accused on a 5-day remand. 

On the other hand, Bukhari, who had been staying in the minority-dominated Neulpur area since 2018, had reportedly secured his dwelling there by marrying a local girl engaged as a teacher. As he was married to a local girl, residents did not object to his staying there. Moreover, as the police had no objections about his presence, locals reportedly did not dare to complain.

After his arrest, some locals demanded stern action against Bukhari. “Because of Bukhari, Milatnagar and Neulpur are defamed. In the last 23 years, even the administration had no need to enter the village. It was peaceful. A thorough investigation on him is required. ” observed Seikh Abdul Rahib, a local resident.    

According to sources, in 2018, though police had received a complaint from a local journalist named Dildar Chand about the presence of a Kashmiri youth, he was set free after verification of his documents. Here, many questioned why the local police failed to delve into the activities of the suspect despite his presence in the village for the last five years.  

Former DGP, Batakrushan Tripathy said, "The state intelligence should have been serious about an outsider settling there. When such things are coming to the open, proper investigation should be done.”

Our correspondent tried to contact the Jajpur SP, but his response was not received. 

Meanwhile, following Bukhari's arrest and reports about his suspected terror links, his wife, a resident of Neulpur in Dharmashala of Jajpur district, was sacked from her job as a teacher.   

Earlier on Saturday, Bukhari was arrested by a special team of the STF following a raid at the Neulpur area in Jajpur district over his alleged links with some suspicious anti-national elements.

Also Read: Kashmiri fraudster Ishaan Bukhari’s chats with Pakistani ISI agent found; NIA to join probe

As per reports, Bukhari was in contact with some Pakistani ISI agents and might have passed sensitive data of Indian security installations to the ISI. 

Four mobile phones were recovered from Bukhari. Two operational mobiles have been sent for CDR analysis while the other two have been sent to the State Forensic Science Lab (SFSL) for data mining.