Mohammed Hanif, the Salafi preacher arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch two days ago, is suspected to have influenced not only Nagpada youth Ashfaque Majeed but also other youths from Kerala who have gone missing and are suspected to have joined the Islamic State, police sources said on Monday.
Mr. Hanif, a preacher with a Salafi mosque in Kerala, was arrested on Saturday on a complaint by Ashfaque’s father Abdul Kadar Majeed. The Crime Branch has also booked Arshid Qureshi and Rizwan Khan, already in the Kerala police’s custody, and a fourth accused identified as Abdul Rasheed.
According to police, preliminary investigations indicate that the missing Kerala youths were in touch with Mr. Hanif.
Hail from same district“The youths hail from the same district as Ashfaque and they have spent a considerable amount of time together. Mr. Hanif was a preacher with a mosque in the same district, and we have reason to suspect that all of these youths came into contact with him at some point or the other over the last two years. We are verifying whether they too were influenced by Mr. Hanif’s preachings, and whether this played a role in their departure to join the Islamic State,” an officer said.
Under watchAnother officer said Mr. Hanif had been under the watch of the Kerala police for a long time, as his preachings were allegedly radical in nature.
The Mumbai and Kerala police are working in coordination in the case. The Crime Branch will soon be seeking Mr. Qureshi and Mr. Khan’s custody for interrogation.
“Ashfaque’s father and his relatives in his hometown have said that they have frequently seen Ashfaque and Mr. Hanif together, and that his interaction with Mr. Hanif intensified over time. We are making investigations in Kerala to find out who else Mr. Hanif was in touch with,” said a source.
