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Islamic State's 'Indian Arm' Was Planning To Extort Money From Bollywood Stars

Islamic State's 'Indian Arm' Was Planning To Extort Money From Bollywood Stars
A Syrian soldier displays on April 4, 2016 an Islamic State (IS) group flag after Syrian troops regained control the previous day of al-Qaryatain, a town in the province of Homs in central Syria.IS jihadists withdrew from the town a week after the Russian-backed army and allied militia scored a major victory in the ancient city of Palmyra, which is also located in the vast province of Homs. The recapture of al-Qaryatain allows the army to secure its grip over Palmyra, where jihadists destroyed ancient temples during their 10-month rule and executed 280 people. / AFP / JOSEPH EID (Photo credit should read JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images)
JOSEPH EID via Getty Images
A Syrian soldier displays on April 4, 2016 an Islamic State (IS) group flag after Syrian troops regained control the previous day of al-Qaryatain, a town in the province of Homs in central Syria.IS jihadists withdrew from the town a week after the Russian-backed army and allied militia scored a major victory in the ancient city of Palmyra, which is also located in the vast province of Homs. The recapture of al-Qaryatain allows the army to secure its grip over Palmyra, where jihadists destroyed ancient temples during their 10-month rule and executed 280 people. / AFP / JOSEPH EID (Photo credit should read JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images)

An alleged Indian arm of the Islamic State had been planning to extort money from Bollywood stars to fund their terror activities, reports The Indian Express. Janood-ul-Khalifa-Hind also intended to procure arms from the Naxals, but their proposal was not entertained.

IE reports: "According to sources, two alleged top commanders of the module busted by security agencies earlier this year, Rizwan Nawazuddin alias Khalid and Muddabir Sheikh, have revealed this in interrogation."

Nineteen-year-old Rizwan, who has been named the operational head of the Indian wing of IS, had been the one masterminding the plan to extort from Bollywood and had even discussed the idea during a meeting held with other operatives in Lucknow.

Rizwan added that he had been lured to extremist ideologies while surfing the internet to kill time.

"Rizwan, two of whose uncles are in the Army, talked about toying with the idea of attacking an Army base in Meerut too, say investigators. While his father is a revenue official in UP, another uncle is a district magistrate," IE reports.

Bollywood used to be a favourite money machine for the underworld through the eighties and nineties. It was widely reported that while the underworld pumped money into films, some mafia leaders also extorted money from Bollywood producers. T-Series owner Gulshan Kumar was gunned down by the mafia after he allegedly refused to pay them 'protection money'.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.