A man said to be the face of the RSS Muslim wing in Srinagar has been arrested on swindling charges, two months after the arrest of a militant commander embarrassed the BJP following claims that he had been a party functionary.

Police said “fraudster” Bashir Ahmad Gagloo had been arrested for “cheating and grabbing huge amounts in lakhs from some persons promising them jobs”.

The police did not mention any political affiliation but social media bristled with reports that Gagloo was the convener of the Srinagar unit of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an RSS arm.

Shams-ul-Haq, Manch vice-convener for Jammu and Kashmir, said Gagloo used to be a district convener with the organisation but had been sacked on August 20. “There must have been some complaints after which our state convener, Mir Nazir Ahmad, fired him,” Haq told The Telegraph.

The Manch has offered no evidence of Gagloo’s sacking. Social media handles of the group show him participating in several events, including the hoisting of the Tricolour.

On August 15, the group had said in a statement that its leaders, including Gagloo, had celebrated Independence Day at the Shivpora office of the Manch in Srinagar.

The all-India convener of the Manch, Haji Mohammad Afzal, too participated in the event at the Shivpora office.

In July, Talib Hussain, said to have been a BJP leader before allegedly turning a Lashkar commander, was arrested in connection with militancy-related incidents in Jammu. Multiple pictures, their authenticity not questioned by the BJP, show Hussain in the company of top BJP leaders, including Amit Shah