14 students, planning to join Islamic State, stopped at Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: Some students going to Britain and other European countries from Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana to pursue MS in engineering, are falling prey to the Islamic State. According to state intelligence agencies, 14 people have been identified including those who have joined IS or were stopped at the airports on their way to Syria and Iraq.

Police suspects more of them may have been working with the Islamic State; it is difficult to track them as they are leaving from Britain and other European countries. The death of Ateef Waseem from Mancherial in Adilabad district late last week while fighting for the IS in Syria has alerted both the state and Central intelligence agencies, which began verification of students with suspicious links going to these countries.

The mobile phone call data of Waseem in Hyderabad while he was studying at the Shadan Engineering College is being verified. A senior officer said the police had counselled 11 youths while they were trying to join the IS, after nabbing them at the airports.

Another person identified as Solmon Moinuddin has been arrested. “All the youth belong to different engineering colleges. We can keep watch on them when they are here and it is difficult to track them once they go out of the country. Outside there is lot of scope for exposure and they use the internet widely. Most are suspects from Hyderabad and a few from other parts of Telangana,” the officer said.

Waseem went to London to pursue his Masters. The family claimed that they got an SMS in Arabic language which they got translated. Earlier the city police foiled an attempt by six youth including two engineers, a former Google employee, for trying to join ISIS ranks. A 19-year-old woman from the city, a resident of Qatar, also tried to join the IS. Four others were tracked down at Kolkata while trying to go to Iraq.

The Intelligence Bureau has started Operation Chakrayuh to counsel the youth who try to join the IS. “All those youths who were counselled so far are under constant surveillance. There are no signs of them trying to rejoin ISIS or being involved in any suspicious activities,” said a police officer.