U.K. couple inspired suspected IS recruits from Kerala, says NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the case of 21 missing people from Kerala, who are suspected to have joined the Islamic State in Afghanistan, said on Monday that some of the members were inspired by a U.K. based couple.

An NIA official said one of the prime accused in the case, Abdul Rashid, who is also suspected to have travelled to Afghanistan with his first wife and child, had asked his second wife, Yasmin Ahmed, to join a pro-Islamic State chat group run by a U.K. based couple on Telegram, a web-based application.

Mr Rashid worked for Peace International School, run by Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

The NIA came across this piece of information during the questioning of Ms Ahmed, from Bihar, who was arrested at the IGI Airport, Delhi while she was about to leave for Afghanistan to join the group. She was accompanied by her four-year-old son. An official said Mr Ahmed first met Mr Rashid at the Peace International School at Malappuram in Kerala where she had joined as an English teacher along with her first husband.

Ms Ahmed further told the NIA that she married Mr Rashid over the phone while she was in Bihar on May 3, 2016 when the latter was in Kerala.

“During this nikah (wedding) ceremony, Shihas acted as wali (guardian) of the bride while other co-accused Ashfak and Yahya acted as witnesses,” said an official. Ms Ahmed told interrogators that via Telegram, Mr Rashid had informed her in the first week of July that he along with others had reached the Caliphate in Afghanistan.

NIA said Mr Rashid has also given the ATM card of his first wife Ayesha to Ms Ahmed and transferred Rs. 1.5 lakh into her account in mid-July to facilitate her travel till Afghanistan. This money was subsequently used by Ms Ahmded to purchase flight tickets, pay for the Afghanistan visa and also purchase $ 620, said NIA.

The group belonging to Kasaragod and Palakkad in Kerala left their native places to join the IS in July in batches.

All of them exited India from Bangalore, Hyderabad or Mumbai airports for Kuwait, Dubai, Muscat or Abu Dhabi from where they are learnt to have to travelled to Iran and from there on to Afghanistan.