Police not sure of probe direction on IS fighters from State

The State police have still not taken any decision on ascertaining how three youths from Karnataka, who were killed while fighting for the Islamic State, were radicalised and how they came in touch with IS recruiters, said highly placed sources in the Home department.

The Internal Security Division, State Intelligence and Central Intelligence and Investigation agencies will have to act now.

“There are many questions that need answers as it is the most sensitive issue considering the country’s safety and security. The police should unearth whether the trio - Mohammad Umar Subhan, Faiz Masood, both from Bengaluru and Maulana Abdul Kadir Sultan Armar, a resident of Bhatkal— knew each other and had left the country together and whether there was any IS agent who recruited them and sent to Syria/Iraq. It is also important to know if they were in touch with like-minded people back in Karnataka after leaving the country,” a senior IPS officer told Deccan Herald.

“The agencies should conduct a thorough background check and ascertain such details in the interest of safety and security of the country. They should also prevent radicalisation and recruitment of youths by IS. We should ascertain reasons for the trio to join the IS and circumstances that led to their killings. In such cases, the role of local police is extremely restricted,” retired DG and IGP Shankar Bidari said.

Another senior retired IPS officer Gopal B Hosur, who handled several terror cases, echoed similar views and said the role of Internal Security Division is crucial in such instances.

“The City police and the ISD should work together as a network and ascertain who radicalised the trio and are there many such youths who have left the country. We should know what they are doing at present if they are alive. We should have a data of the associates of such people. Family members and others knew about such deaths, but the police had no information. Hence, our agencies should do some soul searching,” he said.

The police suspected that the agents could have contacted the trio either through social media or by making calls. “In the past a few calls to some youths originated from abroad making an attempt to radicalise them. In Bengaluru, a few youths are targeted using social media. We should detect such instances and stop further radicalisation,” another senior officer, who served in City for a while. He added that the ISD should obtain details from the passports of the trio and their respective visits abroad and the purposes of such visits.