Arrested: Indian woman ISIS ‘recruiter’

By Newsgram Staff Writer

Hyderabad: Dubai-based Indian, Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly recruiting youth online for terror outfit ISIS in Syria and Iraq, was extradited here on Friday and arrested on arrival, said the police.

"There are allegations that she recruited some people. She was also propagating Jehadi literature through Facebook," the police officer said and added that various agencies will probe this.

A resident of Hyderabad, 37-year-old Joseph was extradited as part of the police investigations following the arrest of a US-returned engineer in January this year at Hyderabad airport when he was allegedly leaving for Syria via Dubai to join ISIS.

Salman Moihuddin had told police that he was in touch with Joseph and they were planning to leave for Syria via Turkey to join Islamic State.

The 32-year-old techie, who has a master's degree in electronics from Houston, stated that he came in touch with her over social media when he was in the US.

Mohiuddin described Joseph as a British national living in Dubai who influenced and invited him to join her Dubai, planning to go to Syria via Turkey, said the police. During questioning, he confessed to have opened several Facebook accounts along with Joseph. It is alleged that through these, they attracted people interested in ISIS.

"Both of them indoctrinated and motivated several youth via social media platforms to get attracted towards the activities of ISIS and Jihad," a police statement said Friday.

Initially it was believed that Joseph is a British national who converted to Islam and was known by her Islamic name Ayesha.

Investigations, however, revealed that her real name is Afshan Jabeen and she hails from Toli Chowki in Hyderabad. She migrated to Abu Dhabi during her childhood, and after completing her intermediate there, she came to Hyderabad and did her graduation from Shadan College. She later married Devender Kumar alias Mustafa.

(With inputs from IANS)