POLICE will not comment on allegations that followers of Muslim preacher Zakir Naik are aiding fugitive Muhammad Riduan Abdullah in hiding his daughter, whose conversion to Islam has been nullified by the court.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Huzir Mohamed said police had already taken the statement of Riduan’s ex-wife, M. Indira Gandhi, following a police report she lodged about the matter.

“We recorded her statement yesterday in Perak, following her police report about Zakir Naik’s followers – including PAS members – of aiding Riduan to hide Prasana Diksa.

“I do not wish to get involve in a spat on social media, nor do I want to comment on what they have alleged.

“We are investigating and we are doing our best in locating the girl,” Huzir told The Malaysian Insight.

Prasana Diksa was taken by Riduan when she was a baby 10 years ago, after he unilaterally converted her and two other children to Islam.

In January 2018, the Federal Court made a landmark decision in Indira’s favour, in which it said unilateral conversions of children by one parent were unlawful.

Indira yesterday said in her police report that, besides followers of Zakir Naik, she suspected Southern Thai separatists and PAS-aligned groups in Kelantan and Terengganu of helping her ex-husband.

The Indira Gandhi Action Team (Ingat), which has taken up Indira’s case, said the information in her police report was based on tip-offs from members of the public.

Indira is now seeking verifiable information on Riduan, who took Prasana when she was a baby in March 2009.

PAS, meanwhile, demanded Ingat retract its statement linking the Islamist party to Prasana’s abduction and called it a malicious attempt to link the party to extremism.

“PAS is not hiding M. Indira Gandhi’s (former) husband from the authorities.

“We protest the wild allegations that civil groups friendly to PAS and southern Thai separatists are protecting Riduan and Prasana Diksa,” said PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man today.

He said PAS also wanted an apology from Ingat.

Riduan is defying a court order to return Prasana and is the subject of a mandamus order from the court for the police to arrest him. – July 26, 2019.