The two men from Howrah arrested on Saturday over their alleged links with the terror outfit ISIS were raising money to send it to Syria, the Kolkata Police's Special Task Force (STF) has said. The duo, identified as Mohammad Saddam (28), a mechanical engineering graduate who works with a Noida-based private firm, and his accomplice Sayeed Ahmed (30), had raised about Rs 30,000 for the purpose before being arrested, a senior officer claimed. The two accused were sent to 12-day police custody. Saddam was working from home for nearly two years, it is learnt. Officials said Saddam was first influenced by ISIS ideology through radical literature and videos and he then radicalised Sayeed, his childhood friend. “They used to communicate secretly through messaging platforms using coded language. Our investigation so far has revealed that they were raising money to send it to Syria," STF Joint Commissioner of Police V Solomon Nesakumar said. "We suspect more people are involved in these activities and have got some leads in this regard. We will get to the bottom of this as our investigation progresses," another official said . Their laptops and mobiles have been recovered and will be examined thoroughly. The police are also trying to find out if they have any Bangladesh links. They are also probing their alleged communication with their Pakistan-based handlers besides the possibility of their involvement in the procurement of explosives, recruitment of youths for radical activities. TMC, Opposition trade charges Meanwhile, the arrest of the two suspected ISIS operatives has triggered a political blame game in the state. CPIM leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “It is a cause of concern that Bengal is turning into a haven for such elements. The activities of terror outfits in have increased in the state.” BJP leader Rahul Sinha claimed that appeasement politics of the Mamata Banerjee-led government has led to such incidents in Bengal. "Every terror attack or bomb explosion have some Bengal connection. Such elements feel safe in the state. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "It is not new that Bengal is used as a passage by some terror operatives to travel to other places.”
