Eleven individuals belonging to two families hailing form north Kerala have gone missing in Dubai, triggering fears of them joining the Islamic State, Hindustan Times has reported.
As per the report, one complaint in this regard was filed by a Kasaragod resident named Abdul Hamid who claimed that his daughter Nazeera, her husband Mohamad Sabad, his second wife Rahanath and their children have been missing from 15 June.
The report claims that Sabad used to run a mobile repair and perfume shop in Dubai. As per the complaint, his family had gone to visit him a month back and no contact has been established with them since 15 June.
The report even quoted a relative as claiming that Sabad had seemed a “little radicalised” as he kept talking about the holy war. The relative speculated that he and his family might have relocated to Yemen.
As per an Indian Express report, another youth named Ansar, his wife Zeenath and their three kids are also missing, taking the total incognito individuals to 11. The report also quoted intelligence sources as claiming that those missing seem to have reached Yemen to join ultra-conservative Salafi hardliners.
A New Indian Express report hinted the same by claiming that the police fears they might have joined the Islamic State.
Incidentally Kerala has been plagued by the problem of radicalised individuals joining the Islamic State, with reports claiming that at least 21 of them have gone down this route since 2016. Most of them hailed from Kasaragod, the district where there two families also belong.
We had also reported in December of last year that six youths from Kannur, who allegedly worked with the radical group Popular Front of India (PFI), had joined ISIS. Such decisions though have come at a cost to them as, it was reported in January that one such youth had been killed fighting for the terrorist group.