ISIS Kannur case: NIA to file chargesheet against PFI member Shahjahan

The National Investigative Team (NIA) is all set to file a chargesheet in the ISIS Kannur case before December 25. The agency has completed the investigation and has prepared the final report.

Shahjahan Kandy, a PFI member, who left India to join ISIS but was arrested by Turkey police while crossing their border to enter Syria.

The Centre has been mulling a ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) for many months now, and a chargesheet against Shahjahan is likely to strengthen the government's case.

Shajahan had travelled to Turkey/Syria for carrying out terrorist activities after procuring an Indian Passport with the fake name of Mohd. Ismail Mohideen.

Shahjahan, who is a resident of Kannur in Kerala, during his interrogation, has told that he became the area president of PFI in 2007-2008. He was then heading a team of 9 PFI members.

Shahjahan later joined the mouthpiece of PFI, Thejas Daily, and actively started meeting other PFI members.

In 2010, he joined Facebook and became members of two groups - Free Thinkers and Right Thinkers.

Through Facebook, he came in contact with many potential recruits who according to him were useful in spreading PFI's activities.

Soon Shahjahan left India and when he returned to India in 2013, he started attending PFI's seminars.

During one such seminar, he came in contact with a person named Sameer. In 2016, Shahjahan left India for Syria along with his family. During his interrogation, he has revealed that many people like him were motivated by Sameer to move to Syria and help ISIS.

The route was given by Sameer in which Shahjahan first went to Malasiya, and then through Tehran and Istanbul he tried entering Syria. All those who were ready to fight for ISIS were given 3 months' training in Istanbul.

In 2016, Shahjahan along with two other friends, Munaf and Shahjil, tried to cross the border. His friends successfully made into Syria by crossing the Turkey border but Shahjahan failed.

Later on, in 2017 he again tried to cross the border but was caught at the Turkish border with fake passport.

Shahjahan, an ISIS sympathiser himself, has disclosed that atleast 6 youths who disappeared from Kerala have joined ISIS.

PFI has been accused of forceful religious conversions. In the last few months, at least nine PFI members have reportedly joined ISIS.