Ahmedabad Crime Branch on September 6, arrested three Syrian nationals at Delhi Airport for allegedly raising funds in India under the pretext of helping Gaza victims. Officials suspect that the collected money was never sent to Gaza and was instead being misused.
The accused were identified as Zakaria Haitham Alazar, Ahmed Ohad Alhabash, and Yusuf Khalid Alzahar.
According to investigators, the trio was intercepted on September 3 while attempting to board a flight from Delhi to Damascus via Dubai.
This arrest comes close on the heels of another similar case. Just last month, police in Ahmedabad had arrested Ali Meghat Al-Azhar, a 23-year-old Syrian national, from a hotel in Ellis Bridge area. Al-Azhar, also posing as a fundraiser for Gaza victims, was found with USD 3,600 and Rs 25,000 in cash.
According to Sharad Singhal, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Al-Azhar was raising money from mosques by showing distressing videos of people starving in Gaza. However, police investigations revealed that he was using the funds to support a lavish lifestyle rather than channelling them for relief work. Following his arrest, the other three Syrians went underground until they were tracked and detained at Delhi Airport.
Officials said that the four Syrians had entered India on tourist visas and landed in Kolkata on July 22, 2025. They later moved to Ahmedabad on August 2. Their modus operandi was simple yet deceptive: they visited local mosques, played videos of suffering families in Gaza, and sought donations by claiming to be collecting money for food and relief.
“They would approach local mosques and seek donations, showing videos of starving people in Gaza to gain sympathy. They claimed the funds were for needy families in Gaza. But no evidence has been found that the money was ever sent abroad,” a senior official said.
The arrests have triggered a wider probe. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, in coordination with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is now investigating whether the fundraising network was part of a larger organised operation.
Authorities are also trying to ascertain the total amount of money collected, the network of local contacts, and the exact purpose of the funds. Officials believe that more arrests may follow as investigations progress.
Police confirmed that the accused are currently being interrogated to trace financial transactions and possible links to international groups.
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