A day after reports in the media that a baby girl was born to Keralite couple Bexin Vincent and Nimisha, who are allegedly in an Islamic State (IS) camp in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, family members here have claimed they are in the dark about any such development.
Talking to The Hindu at Yakkara here on Wednesday, Bexin’s father K.F. Vincent and stepmother Elsy said they were clueless about the whereabouts of their son, who changed his name to Easa after embracing Islam, and his wife Nimisha, who rechristened herself as Fathima.
“A section of newspapers and television channels carried reports claiming that I have received a text message from Afghanistan informing us about the birth of a girl. The reports also said a message sent by my elder son Bekson, alias Yahya, had also urged me to embrace Islam and focus on rewards of afterlife. I have received no such messages,” said Mr. Vincent.
Ms. Elsy said the family did not receive any message from Bekson and Bexin in the recent weeks. She was unsure of any such message received by Nimisha’s family in Thiruvananthapuram. The brothers left India with their wives eleven weeks ago. Ms. Elsy said Nimisha was pregnant when they left India.
News reports quoting intelligence sources said the baby girl was born in war-ravaged Nangarhar in Afghanistan, where a reported training centre of the Islamic State is functioning. The brothers from Yakkara in Palakkad were allegedly part of a 21-member team that left the State to join the IS. Though earlier reports suggested they went directly to Syria, intelligence agencies now claim the 21 are undergoing training in Afghanistan.
Mr. Vincent had reported to the police that his sons and their families left India claiming they were going to Sri Lanka for setting up a carpet business there. He had also given Rs.5 lakh to them to start the business.
On June 15, Mr. Vincent received a WhatsApp message from Easa and Nimisha saying they were doing well and planned to move into a new premises. However, they did not disclose their destination.
