NIA grills duo from city in Shajahan case

NIA sources said that two men identified as Mohammed Jaffer and Sahib, both residents of Kondithope, were questioned on Thursday by a NIA officer from Delhi. “Both knew Shajahan and had also been with him during a trip to Uttar Pradesh. 

Mohamed Jaffer had stayed with Shajahan in the latter’s hideout before he was deported from Syria first time. The two men are the witnesses who could confirm or clarify certain details provided by Shajahan,” sources said. The NIA took over the case related to Shajahan from Delhi police in September. 

The Delhi police had arrested him in July after he was deported for the second time from Turkey, where he stayed and attempted to join the Islamic State in Syria. He had travelled to Turkey second time using a fake passport which he reportedly obtained from Chennai. However, his second attempt to enter Turkey was also foiled by the police and he was later deported to India. Shajahan, a native of Kannur, has disclosed to intelligence agencies about the presence of 17 persons from Kerala in IS in Syria and Iraq since January 2016. 

Shajahan had visited Turkey/Syria for carrying out terror activities after procuring an Indian passport in the fake name of Mohammad Ismail Mohideen. He had travelled from Chennai in February. Another accused, who had arranged the fake passport for Shahjahan, Mohd Mushtafa alias JP from Mannady, Chennai, was also arrested earlier.