Deported Chennai man arrested by NIA for Islamic State links
Chennai police claimed that they were not aware of Mohamed Nazir's arrest by the NIA.
Chennai: A 23-year-old youth from Chennai, working in Dubai, was deported to Delhi on Friday from Sudan after he was allegedly found trying to establish contact with IS handlers to go to Libiya, sources said. As soon as he landed in Delhi sleuths from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) whisked him away after arresting him. This was NIA’s first arrest of a man from Tamil Nadu for alleged links with IS.
“We are in touch with the NIA team to know more details about him,” a senior police official from TN police head quarters said. Chennai police officers however claimed that they were not aware of the arrest of the city youth in Delhi by the NIA.
The youth identified as Mohamed Nazir, a computer diploma holder, from Chennai with roots in Papanasam, Tirunelveli, was working in Dubai since 2014, where his father Packeer Mohamed was also employed. He visited Chennai last in May this year, sources said.
It is believed that he was in touch with an IS recruiter in Dubai named ‘Mad Mullah’ who provided him with fake travel documents asking him to reach Sudan, from where he would be able travel to Libiya to join the IS fighters.
This is the first time agencies have come across a case where an Indian was being planned to join IS fighters in Libya. Until now Indian agencies believed that all Indians lured by IS were fighting along the Syria and Iraq border. So far 23 Indians have joined the ranks of IS and six have been reported killed. It is also believed that so far, security agencies have managed to stop more than 60 Indians from joining Islamic State by de-radicalising them.
In November two TN youths were deported from Turkey for suspected activities but were allowed to meet their families by the central and state agencies after a few rounds of counselling.