Mumbai: The Badr Masjid chawl in Behrambaug, Jogeshwari, where terror accused Faisal Mirza used to stay, wore a look of despair on Monday. Relatives and neighbours, shocked over the arrest, rallied around Mr. Mirza’s family.
Mr. Mirza was living with his parents, wife Sohela, nine-month-old baby girl, and brothers Asif and Fawad in a ground plus one hutment.
When The Hindu visited the Mirza residence, one of Mr. Mirza’s aunts answered the door. Refusing to give her name, she said, “My nephew is innocent. He has a wife and a nine-month-old daughter, and he works as an electrician for a living. He was never involved in any illegal activities.”
Several of Mr. Mirza’s sisters were also present. They said he told them he was offered a job in Dubai by a distant relative, and left in March. When he came back after a month, he said he had got the job and would soon be starting work.
The family was very happy till the night of May 10, when a team of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad officers came knocking. They took all the three brothers for questioning.
“They refused to tell us which police station they were being taken to and for what reason. We could not sleep the entire night,” Ms. Sohela said.
The next morning, only two of the three brothers returned, while Mr. Mirza was arrested and charged with the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. He is accused of having undergone terrorist training in Pakistan for two weeks, after which he was allegedly instructed to return to India and wait for further instructions.
One of the Mirzas’ neighbours, Hajra Shaikh, who is close to the family, said, “Mr. Mirza is a very nice man. He is friendly with everyone in the chawl. Before going to Dubai, he came to meet us and looked very happy to have found a better job. He used to work mostly in Jogeshwari, fixing electrical appliances. He was told he would get a permanent job in Dubai and would earn a lot. He also said he was looking at this offer as a chance to turn his life around.”
Relatives, who had gathered at the house, said Mr. Mirza’s mother is suffering from serious health issues, which aggravated following the arrest. His two brothers were once again called for questioning and were being grilled till late on Monday night.
