The 23-year-old Kalyan youth, who had joined the terror group Islamic State (IS) and was detained by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and registered an FIR against Arif Majeed.
Arif Majeed had left his home around six months ago to join the terror outfit in Syria was believed to have been killed while fighting for the Islamic State.
According to sources, he got in touch with the members of the militant group through a number he found online.
“He was then given a local number to get in touch with who would help him get to Iraq. We are going to verify these claims and verifying his information,” the source added.
National Investigation Agency sources said they would soon initiate legal proceedings against Aarif, who allegedly did not fully cooperate with his interrogators during his “debriefing.” “He seemed unrepentant,” the official added.
“We have received a notification from the Home Ministry authorising us to register a case as made out under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Section 125 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). As per the instruction, we have initiated the process to register the case,” said a senior NIA official.
Found guilty of conspiracy in committing a terror act, Section 18 of UAPA imposes punishment of five years to life imprisonment. Section 125 of the Indian Panel Code provides a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, if abetting or waging war with an Asian ally.
Aarif and the other three who left with him, Amaan Tandel, Fahad Shaikh and Saheem Tanki, hail from Kalyan district in Thane on the outskirts of Mumbai.
“He will help us ascertain the entire chain of events… But if we press a case against him, he might not cooperate,” an officer from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad told the media.