Keralite who went to join IS deported by Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough in the NIA case relating to 21 Keralites who travelled to Afghanistan in 2016 and joined the Islamic State, one of the accused who travelled to Afghanistan later with the same intention was deported to New Delhi from Kabul on Tuesday.

Nashidul Hamzafar, an accused in the IS-Kasaragod case against whom a nonbailable warrant was issued earlier, was arrested by NIA upon his arrival here.

Hamzafar, who hails from Kalpetta village in Kerala’s Wayanad district, was working in the UAE but was in touch with Shihas, who was part of the 21-member group based in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, and had gone to the same college as him, and others. In 2017, he and a friend of his decided to join the group by travelling from UAE to Afghanistan.


To avoid suspicion, Nashidul and his friend, as advised by their handlers, travelled by air to Oman and then to Tehran, Iran (on a tourist visa). However, the family of his friend came to know about the latter’s plans and put pressure on him to abandon the journey. The friend gave in and flew back to UAE from Tehran. He has since returned to India and was examined by NIA. He is likely to be made a witness in the case.

Nashidul, however, was determined to make it to Nangarhar and join other Keralites there. He, on some pretext, managed to travel to Kabul in a bus from Tehran. A facilitator from IS was waiting for him in Kabul, said NIA sources. A taxi was arranged, apparently to take him to Nangarhar. However, Nashidul was intercepted by the Afghan security personnel at a checkpost on basis of his suspicious conduct. He was questioned about his plans in Afghanistan but failed to come up with satisfactory answers. The Afghan agencies detained him for illegally entering the country and later got in touch with India, his country of origin. It turned out that he was in touch through social media applications with the accused in ISIS Kasaragod and ISIS Palakkad case being probed by NIA.

NIA made him an accused in the case and got an NBW against him from the NIA special court in Ernakulam, to secure his deportation. Nashidul was produced before a special court for NIA cases on Wednesday. He will now be taken to Kochi on transit remand for producing him before the special NIA court in Ernakulam.