A day after a message reached Hafeezuddin's close relatives that the youth, who was among the 17 from Kerala who are suspected to have joined the Islamic State (IS), was killed in a drone strike , the police are ascertaining the veracity of the information.
Special Branch Deputy Superintendent of Police V.T. Assainar, however, told The Hindu . that a ‘WhatsApp’ message, said to have been received by a relative of Hafeezuddin (26), a native of Padanna near Cheruvathur in Kasaragod district, showed the photo of the youth's body lying on the ground.
“The local police could not as yet ascertain the whereabouts of the persons who went missing under mysterious circumstances in June last and are said to have joined the IS later,” Mr. Assainar said, adding that only Central agencies like the NIA could get any information, a stance maintained by Superintendent of Police K.G. Simon too.
It still could not be confirmed whether the 17 missing persons, including women and children, are in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a large number of people, including close relatives, were silently visiting Hafeezuddin’s residence as the youth’s father Abdul Hakeem reached home from Abu Dhabi.
