When a pro-Modi Indian media 'stings' Zakir in Putrajaya

When a pro-Modi Indian media 'stings' Zakir in Putrajaya

Published: Oct 22, 2026 3:37 PM


On Oct 13, a senior journalist from India’s The Republic Media Network, widely regarded as sympathetic to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), travelled to Putrajaya to meet Zakir Naik.

The Indian-born Muslim preacher, who resides in Malaysia, remains a wanted man in India, where he faces allegations that have fuelled a protracted legal and diplomatic saga between the two countries.

The journalist, Anirudda Bhakat, claimed that Zakir, his associates, and family members occupy the entire 21st floor of a condominium tower.

The Republic described the meeting between its journalist and the preacher as a “sting”.

Their conversation appeared to be secretly recorded, and the subsequent report portrayed Zakir as sympathetic to India’s opposition All India Congress Party and supportive of demonstrations in New Delhi.

The demonstrations were organised by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical political movement that has since grown into a wider campaign against the government.


The movement has been at the forefront of protests over alleged manipulation of voter rolls and calls for the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner.

'BJP goes first'

Asked by the journalist when he intends to return to India, Zakir was blunt about what needs to happen first.

“After BJP goes… Before that, if I come home, I won’t be able to come out of the country,” he said.

Addressing the allegations against him, including money laundering charges and hate-speech cases, the preacher maintained that they were baseless.


“They are allegations. There is no proof,” Zakir said, adding that he was willing to provide a witness statement via video, but Indian authorities insisted that he do so in person.

“If I come in person, I won’t come out... I will be inside only; they won’t give me (a) trial,” he added.


Turning to the protests sweeping India, Zakir said mounting public anger would spell trouble for the ruling BJP.

“I don’t think BJP will survive till the next elections. If it survives, it won’t win (the elections). Inshallah. Elections are due in 2029; they may go before that also. Next year,” he said.

Asked whether he hoped Congress would return to power, Zakir said the party led by Rahul Gandhi was preferable to the BJP.

But he stopped short of offering an unqualified endorsement of Rahul’s leadership, describing him as not yet a “seasoned or experienced” politician.

“But he is better than Modi. He is one person who is honest; he is not corrupt, and he doesn’t cheat. That simple.

“The country is in a very bad situation, economically, financially... too much unemployment… the rupee has devalued a lot,” he added.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Towards the end of the conversation, Zakir told the journalist that he expected to deliver his next sermon in Bangladesh soon.

It remains unclear whether the preacher knew he was speaking to a journalist, as the circumstances surrounding their meeting were never made clear.


Permanent resident

Zakir was granted Malaysian permanent resident status in 2015.

His relocation to Malaysia came amid mounting scrutiny in India over his sermons and the activities of his Islamic Research Foundation, which Indian authorities declared unlawful in 2016.

Indian authorities subsequently pursued money laundering allegations against him and sought his extradition.

In 2018, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad defended Malaysia’s decision not to send Zakir back, saying the country had the right to refuse extradition. The government’s position was that he could remain as long as he did not cause problems in Malaysia.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad


Last month, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had discussed Zakir’s extradition with representatives from India.

According to Indian news site New Delhi Television, Anwar confirmed that engagements on the matter had been held in “private discussions” believed to have taken place in New Delhi.

“We thought we should keep it very private to protect the interests of both nations. But we, of course, put it on the priority list for building trust and relationship between our countries,” he was quoted as saying.

He added that any potential action on India’s extradition request must be done “very cautiously”, in a way that respects the rule of law and the importance of bilateral relations.

 

Forget Zahid and BN, go solo in GE16, Zaid urges PAS

Forget Zahid and BN, go solo in GE16, Zaid urges PAS

3 hours ago

FMT Reporters

The former Kota Bharu MP claims BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is insincere about working with PAS, which he believes can win 60 parliamentary seats in GE16 on its own.

Former Kota Bharu MP Zaid Ibrahim claimed BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is ‘Anwar Ibrahim’s man yesterday, today and forever’.

PETALING JAYA:

Former Kota Bharu MP Zaid Ibrahim has urged PAS to go solo in the next general election (GE16) instead of forging an alliance with Barisan Nasional.

Zaid, who used to be in Umno but is now in PAS, claimed that BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was insincere about working with the Islamic party.

He also believed PAS was capable of winning 60 parliamentary seats in the peninsula on its own in GE16.

After the polls, PAS can form the government with parties in Sabah and Sarawak by offering them a “fair deal” on matters critical to the development of both states, Zaid added.

“The Umno president (Zahid) once again decided not to attend an important event with PAS this Friday. Earlier, it was a much-touted presence at the PAS muktamar that did not materialise.

“You mean PAS still harbours hope? Zahid is (Prime Minister) Anwar Ibrahim’s man yesterday, today and forever. I know it’s difficult, but PAS should focus on winning 60 parliamentary seats in the peninsula on its own.

“Working with Zahid does not guarantee Anwar will not remain in power. Zahid, in fact, is inclined to keep Anwar in power. So what does PAS want?” he said in a Facebook post.

Zaid was responding to reports that Zahid had cancelled his attendance at a mega “ummah unity” event organised by PAS at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, this Friday.

The deputy prime minister was supposed to deliver a speech, along with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, while over 100,000 are expected to attend the event.

The gathering will commemorate 36 years of Kelantan being governed by PAS.

Yesterday, Zahid confirmed that BN would form an alliance with “PAS and friends” for the Melaka polls.

The Umno president said the Umno-led coalition would contest 21 of the 28 seats up for grabs while PAS and its Perikatan Nasional allies would vie for the remaining seven.

However, PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan denied that the distribution of seats had been finalised, saying further negotiations are ongoing to refine the pact.

 

Jawi seeks to overturn RM160,000 award to Siti Kasim

Jawi seeks to overturn RM160,000 award to Siti Kasim

4 hours ago

FMT Reporters

The federal territories Islamic religious department argues that even if its officers erred in arresting the activist in 2016, this does not constitute an abuse of power.

On July 18 last year, the High Court awarded Siti Kasim RM160,000 in damages and RM100,000 in legal costs after ruling in her favour in a civil suit against Jawi.

PETALING JAYA:

The federal territories Islamic religious department (Jawi) and 22 others have asked the Court of Appeal to overturn a ruling ordering them to pay lawyer and activist Siti Kasim RM160,000 for her wrongful arrest and detention in 2016.

Berita Harian reported that senior federal counsel Ng Siew Wee, representing Jawi, 15 of its officers and seven others, told the court that the officers were only trying to enforce a religious ruling, or fatwa.

She said even if the officers had misunderstood the law, an honest mistake should not automatically be treated as an abuse of power.

“An honest mistake about the law is not misconduct in public office,” she said.

Ng also said there was no evidence that the Jawi officers who lodged a police report against Siti had acted dishonestly to have her charged with obstructing a public servant.

She argued that the High Court judge had erred in assessing witness testimony and relying on evidence from an earlier criminal case.

However, Siti’s lawyer, A Saha Deva, said the officers went ahead with the raid without checking whether they had the legal authority to do so.

“They did not care whether they had the authority or not. They went ahead with the raid anyway,” he said.

Saha Deva said the High Court had properly considered the evidence and applied the law in finding the officers had misused their powers.

The case dates back to April 3, 2016, when Siti was arrested during a Jawi raid on a private fundraising dinner. She was taken to the Dang Wangi police headquarters and held for about four hours before being released.

She was later charged with obstructing a Jawi officer from carrying out official duties, but was acquitted by the magistrates’ court in August 2020 after the prosecution failed to establish a case against her.

Siti filed a civil suit against Jawi and the government in September 2019, claiming compensation for wrongful arrest and illegal detention, saying she had only been carrying out her duties as a lawyer during the raid.

On July 18 last year, the High Court ruled in her favour and awarded her RM160,000 in damages and RM100,000 in legal costs.

The three-member Court of Appeal bench chaired by Justice Noorin Badaruddin, sitting with Justices Shahnaz Sulaiman and Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, fixed Nov 5 for case management to determine the date of its decision.

 

Child prostitution ring that recruited teens in Klang Valley busted

Child prostitution ring that recruited teens in Klang Valley busted

4 hours ago

FMT Reporters

Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director M Kumar says 'Geng Yunaa' would recruit local children, teenagers and foreigners.

Bukit Aman CID director M Kumar said the nine alleged ‘Geng Yunaa’ members would be charged tomorrow at the Petaling Jaya sessions court with being part of an organised criminal group.

PETALING JAYA:

Federal police busted a child prostitution ring, which had been operating in the Klang Valley since 2024, and arrested seven people last month.

The seven suspects – believed to be members of “Geng Yunaa” – were aged between 18 and 44 years old. They were nabbed in a sting operation between Sept 24 and Sept 26, Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director M Kumar said.

He said police also seized 14 handphones, 33 boxes of condoms and six boxes of birth control pills, among other items.

Several of the suspects, Kumar added, had prior criminal records including for drugs and prostitution-related offences.

Kumar said two other alleged gang members were currently being detained at Kajang prison and the Henry Gurney School in Melaka for trafficking minors and prostitution.

Police were currently tracking the 10th member of the group, he added.

“With the arrests, we have crippled a gang linked to organised crime and solved 17 cases,” Kumar said in a statement.

According to Kumar, “Geng Yunaa” would recruit local children, teenagers and foreigners and exploit them for prostitution, around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

The gang, he said, placed advertisements on messaging app Telegram.

“About 20 to 30 victims were prostituted every day and the gang generated RM450,000 in monthly income.”

Kumar said the nine alleged “Geng Yunaa” members would be charged tomorrow at the Petaling Jaya sessions court with being part of an organised criminal group.