A youngster from the city met a tragic end in Syria three months ago after he reportedly joined Islamic State in Iraq and Syria having gone to London to pursue higher studies.
Though 26-year-old Mohd. Ateef Wasim died in Syria more than a month ago and his family living in Tolichowki of Hyderabad knew about it then, others learnt about his death only a couple of days ago. Wasim’s father Mohd. Aleem, a businessman hailing from Manchiryal of Adilabad district, settled in the capital city a few years ago.
He was residing in King Colony near Nanal Nagar with three sons and a daughter. Wasim completed B.Tech from a minority college in Hyderabad in 2011 and flew to London to pursue M.S. programme and also secured the degree from Greenwich University.
He was regularly in touch with his family and in 2013 told them that he was going to Dubai in search of a job. “The last time he spoke to them was in December 2014. He informed them that he was in Syria, but didn’t explain why he was there,” intelligence official sources said.
On March 23, 2015, Wasim’s father received a cryptic message on his mobile phone stating that his son had died in Syria. The message came from a nine-digit phone number without specifying nature of his death. Though the family sunk into depression mourning his death, they preferred to keep mum. However, the word spread through relatives first in Manchiryal.
Intelligence officials in Hyderabad got wind of it and got it confirmed from the father. “We are already dejected, please don’t ask any questions,” Aleem told this correspondent when contacted for details. Wasim was the second of Aleem’s three sons.
Police believe youngsters joining ISIS usually leave their contact numbers with some persons who pass on the information to the respective families in case of emergency. “He could have died in some air strike. We’re trying to trace the number through which Wasim’s family got the message,” police said.
