The Anti-Terrorism Squad has booked the 23-year-old under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and is continuing its investigation into his alleged ISIS links
Ayaz Sultan’s fears of being put behind bars like alleged ISIS man Areeb Majeed will likely come true, as he has now been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
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Also Read: Ayaz asks mom for money to return home
Ayaz Sultan
The youngest of the Malwani four suspected of being radicalised by the terror outfit, 23-year-old Ayaz had told his family he wanted to return but was scared he would face action like Majeed.
Just yesterday, mid-day had reported that he even asked his mother for money so he could come back.
Read Story: Ayaz told others if they backed out, ISIS will destroy their families
Confirming the development, special IG (Inspector General) Niket Kaushik said, “Investigations reveal that prima facie, Ayaz Sultan has left the country to join ISIS. Hence, a case has been registered against him and other unknown persons under various sections of UAPA (see box). The investigation is being conducted by an ACP-rank officer.”
As this paper reported when it first broke the story about the missing Malwani men, Ayaz was the first to leave his home on October 30, saying he had to go to Pune for a job offer from a Kuwait-based company, and has not been seen since.
On December 15, three more men from Malwani went missing. Two of them were traced – Wajid Sheikh in Pune and Noor Mohammad Shaikh near Sangli – and brought back to Mumbai, where they are currently being interrogated. Meanwhile, the hunt is on for the fourth person, Mohsin Sheikh.
Also Read: ISIS claims Malwani men: 'My husband called to say he missed the kids, but someone cut the call'
After mid-day broke the story about their disappearance and suspected ISIS links on December 21, Ayaz became more careful while contacting his family, but remained in touch with them. Instead of phone calls, he began to message them on WhatsApp over a WiFi network to avoid being traced.
An ATS officer said, “We are currently focusing on interrogating Wajid and Noor. Our main search operation is for Mohsin and one Indian agent who was guiding all these men. Several ATS teams and central agencies are jointly working on the case.”
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