The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested a Kerala man from a lodge in Musafar in Punjab for reportedly making phone calls to Pakistan during the Pathankot terror attack. 

The accused has been identified as Dineshan a.k.a. Riyaz Rasheed, son of Ramachandran of Pilakkavu at Mananthavady in Wayanad.

As per media reports, he left Kerala 15 years ago after being involved in an excise case.

“He was the driver of the jeep that was seized for smuggling 9,000 litres of illicit spirit. A policeman from Pathankot had come to Wayanad to inquire about him,“ a police officer in Wayanad told The Times of India. Dineshan later went on get bail and flew to Saudi Arabia, police said.

ToI reports that though the Punjab Police interviewed Ramachandran and Dineshan's brother Ratheesan, a taxi driver, they denied having any connection with Dinesan after he left the house in 2000.

“They, however, said he had telephoned a girl in the family around two months ago,“ an officer of the Punjab Police said.

According to reports, while working in Saudi Arabia, Dineshan converted to Islam and changed his name to Riyaz Rasheed.

Reports say that the accused reportedly failed to clarify his purpose of stay in Musafar, though he said the phone call was for his ex-colleague who was in Pakistan.

NIA has been investigating the terrorist attack on the air base at Pathankot in which an NSG commando, Lt Col E K Niranjan, was among those killed.