Three Hyderabad youth planning to join IS sent to jail

Three youth from Hyderabad arrested at Nagpur airport two days ago while allegedly planning to go and join the IS were Monday sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

The youth, all in their early 20s, were brought back to Hyderabad and produced before a city court, which sent them to judicial remand.

Police claimed they confessed to have 'jihadi ideology'. They have been booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for conspiring and attempting to wage war against India and for criminal conspiracy.

Joint Commissioner of Police Prabhakar Rao said the youth were on their way to Kashmir and had decided to meet Asiya Andrabi, chief of separatist group Dukhtran-e-Millat to seek her help to cross the border. They were planning to go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine.

The families of the three youth had lodged missing complaints at Chandrayangutta and Humayunagar police stations and on credible information, a team went to Nagpur and traced them at the airport.

While Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini studied B. Sc (Microbiology), Mohammed Abdul Basith and Maaz Hasan Farooq were engineering students.

According to police, all the three are nephews of former president of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the late Syed Salahuddin.

Last year, Abdullah Basith and Maaz Hasan Farooq made an attempt to go to Afghanistan via Bangladesh, along with two others but police foiled their attempt at Kolkata and brought them to Hyderabad and counseled them in the presence of their parents.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Mahender Reddy told reporters on Monday that during 2015, as many as 17 youngsters who were found to be self-motivated towards ISIS activities through social networks, were counseled in the presence of their parents.