Police foil attempts by four AP young men to join ISIS rank

Four youths from the City who were fleeing the country to join the terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS) were arrested by police near the Bangladesh border on Thursday.

A watchful Muslim community helped the police in detaining the youth.

“The boys were attracted by the stories (on violence in Iraq and Syria) published in the social media. We identified them by tapping the communication channels used by certain groups which are recruiting gullible Indian youths, particularly from cities like Hyderabad,” said a senior police official.

The officer confirmed that the youth were in touch with recruiters but said the latter’s location is yet to be traced. “The four young men were sent back to their parents and are being counseled,” the officer said.

Their names have been withheld for the sake of safety. They said they have realised their mistake and are ready to get back to their studies.  

The four were taken into custody in Kolkata last week. Intelligence agencies said they were planning to flee to Bangladesh through the porous border there.

“Bangladesh via Kolkata and then Iraq by road has been a safe passage for misguided Indian youth,” an expert on terrorist groups said.

The route opened when Harkat-Ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HuJi) was formed during Afghanistan war is still active in this part of the sub-continent. However, the names of these groups have been changing frequently to protect operators and bank accounts.

Meanwhile, the police here have their hands full with thousands as young men are being lured by the pan-Islamic forces that exchange messages with the thrill-seeking young men in encrypted messages that take time to unravel. “We are watching and will take action whenever someone takes a wrong step, as we can’t punish someone for chatting on the Facebook, “a cyber crime department officer said.