Controversial Islamic preacher from Kerala Meleveettil Muhammed Akbar was arrested from Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. (Source: Youtube) Controversial Islamic preacher from Kerala Meleveettil Muhammed Akbar was arrested from Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. (Source: Youtube)

ISLAMIC PREACHER and managing director of Peace International School M M Akbar, wanted in connection with a case in Kochi for allegedly inciting communal enmity through textbooks at his schools, was arrested in Hyderabad on Sunday.

According to police, Akbar, who is also the founder-director of Niche of Truth, an organisation engaged in propagating Islam, had been living in the West Asia after fleeing the country following the first arrests in the 2016 case. He was detained by immigration officials at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Sunday afternoon while he was en route to Qatar from Melbourne.

He was detained on the basis of a lookout circular issued by Kerala Police. “We had issued a lookout notice for Akbar. He was detained at Hyderabad airport today afternoon. Officials from Ernakulam (North) Police Station have taken custody of him,” said Biji George, In-charge Assistant Commissioner (Special Branch) of Kochi Police. “A case against Akbar regarding promoting enmity had been registered. He was arrested in that connection.”

In October 2016, the Kochi city police registered the case against Peace International School after it found offensive content in textbooks meant for Class III students at the school. Subsequently, an FIR under Section 153 A (promoting communal enmity) of the IPC was lodged against Akbar and the publishers of the textbooks.

“Earlier, we had arrested three persons associated with the publisher, Mumbai-based Burooj Realization. They are now on bail. Akbar left India after police arrested the representatives of the publishing house,” said K Lalji, Assistant Commissioner, Kochi Police, who is probing the case.

The Peace Education Foundation, which runs 13 CBSE-affiliated schools, has been under the lens of investigating agencies after two dozen Kerala youths went missing, allegedly to join Islamic State in June 2016. Prominent among the missing, Abdul Rasheed of Kasaragod, had been a lead trainer at the school.

Rasheed’s wives, Aysha and Yasmin Ahmed, also worked at various schools under the Foundations. Ahmed was nabbed at Delhi airport, when she was travelling to Kabul, allegedly to join the IS.

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