In an incident that has received little attention in the media, a man from the Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly lured into a terror recruitment conspiracy while on an Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Murtaza, a resident of Meerut, was sent to Saudi Arabia by a local broker, but his religious journey turned into a nightmare when he was reportedly targeted by a terror network aiming to recruit him for jihad in Syria.
Murtaza narrated his ordeal to the police, which has now launched an investigation. A local travel agent who arranged his trip has been arrested.
The case came to light after Murtaza posted a chilling video message on Facebook from Saudi Arabia. In the video, he claimed he was being held hostage by a terror recruitment ring led by one Haji Shahzad, identified as the prime accused. Shahzad, originally from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, is reportedly operating out of Saudi Arabia.
According to Murtaza, Shahzad confiscated his passport, confined him to a hotel room in Mecca, and pressured him to join a militant group in Syria. The victim also said that he was subjected to threats and coercion.
How an Umrah trip turned into a Jihad nightmare
Ali Murtaza, a native of Meerut, traveled to Saudi Arabia for an Umrah pilgrimage through a local travel agent named Abdullah. He was informed that Haji Shehzad would guide him in Mecca.
However, the pilgrimage became a nightmare… pic.twitter.com/DVsWhlys5Z
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) April 16, 2025
Ali Murtaza left for Mecca on March 26, 2025, via a booking arranged through Abdullah Tour and Travel, a local travel agency based in Kithor. His family maintained contact with him for a few days, but after April 2, his tone changed dramatically. During his last known conversation with his wife, Rukhsar, on April 4, he sounded distressed and vaguely promised to call back later — a call that never came.
His father, Kamre Alam, filed a First Information Report (FIR No.: 159/2025) at Kithor Police Station on April 12. In his written complaint, Alam alleged:
“My son Ali Murtaza, aged about 37 years, was sent for Umrah on 26.03.2025 through Abdullah, son of Ishtekar, a resident of Laliana village under Kithor police station limits. Abdullah, currently residing in Mohalla Padio Wala, Kithor, lured and deceived my son by saying that a man named Haji Shahzad from Roorkee would assist him in completing Umrah. Believing him, my son went to Mecca and met Shahzad, who then confined him to a hotel. On 02.04.2025, Shahzad took my son’s passport under the pretext of uploading it online for Ziyarat and never returned it. My son was then told that he would be sent to Syria as a ‘Commander’, promised large sums of money, and was threatened with death if he did not comply. He is being held in a locked room and abused. My son managed to post an appeal on Facebook, which made me aware of the situation. I request that my son be brought back safely to India and that strict legal action be taken against those involved.”
Following the video and complaint, the police arrested a local travel agent connected to the case. Authorities are now attempting to trace the broader network operating behind the scenes. Based on the FIR, the accused has been booked under Sections 318(4), 127(2), 352, and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
In the Facebook video, Murtaza alleged that Shahzad took his passport and pressured him to travel to Syria to join a militant group under the pretext of earning money. He further stated that he was forced to record scripted statements, including references to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and perceived injustices against Muslims in India — all allegedly used as emotional manipulation to radicalise him.
He also mentioned that, “Shehzad tried to brainwash me for days, urging me to follow ‘Allah ki Rah’ and engage in Jihad. He wanted me to become a militant and travel to Syria via Dubai. He claimed that every year he sends boys and youngsters to Syria for Jihad activities, and by doing so, he has earned 2,500 crore. He told me that one day I could also amass such wealth.”
Appeal to Prime Minister Modi
In the same video, Murtaza emotionally and urgently appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs to help him return to India.
According to the police, Murtaza has now safely returned to his home in Meerut after recovering his passport. Authorities confirmed that an investigation is ongoing based on both the allegations made in the video and the formal police complaint.
