Three youths planning to join ‘terror’ groups arrested

Hyderabad, Dec 28 (PTI) Three city-based students, who were picked up from Nagpur airport last week while on way to Srinagar to allegedly join “jihadi terror groups”, have been arrested by police here.

Mohd Abdulla Basith, Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini and Maaz Hasan Farooq, all cousins, (aged around 20-22), were brought to Hyderabad yesterday and after sustained interrogation put under arrest last night, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crimes and SIT) T Prabhakar Rao told PTI.

The youths were today produced in a local court which remanded them in judicial custody.

The three, related to former president of Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) late Syed Salahuddin, were booked on charges under sections of IPC 121 (of waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the government), 121-A (conspiracy to wage war against government), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), and also under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

“The trio was today produced before a court which sent them in 14-day judicial custody,” Rao said.

He said tomorrow police would file a petition in the court seeking their seven day custody as part of further investigation to recover certain things and examine witnesses.

“The trio confessed to have jihadi ideology and in this regard they entered into criminal conspiracy and tried to go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine via Kashmir for furtherance of unlawful activities and in order to join hands with jihadi forces of ISIS/ISIL to wage war against states (India or elsewhere),” said another senior officer of SIT, which is investigating the case.

They also confessed to have decided to meet Asiyan Andrabi, chief of Dukhtaran-e-Millat and seek her help to cross the border to enter PoK, the officer said.

The three youths travelled in a car to Nagpur and were nabbed in a joint operation by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and Telangana police when they were about to board a flight to Srinagar on last Saturday morning.

Their parents had earlier registered missing cases after the three left without telling anyone about their plans.

Earlier, in September 2014, Abdullah Basith and Maaz Hasan Farooq made an attempt to go to Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine via Bangladesh, along with two others Abrar and Noman.

However, police foiled their attempt at Kolkata and brought them back to Hyderabad, and counselled them in the presence of their parents and let them off.