The family members of IS sympathiser Konakalla Subramanyam alias Omer on Saturday said they did not know when and how the 22-year-old had embraced Islam.
Subramanyam had mostly spent his college days in Machilipatnam, where he discontinued his education after completing first year graduation.
He is the youngest son of K. Narasimha Rao and K. Ramamma, who migrated from Kotha Majeru village near Challapalli to Chinnapuram in Machilipatnam mandal 15 years ago. The family depends on agriculture for livelihood.
“We never heard that our boy had embraced Islam until people started inquiring about him with the name of Omer,” Devu Jayamma, grandmother of Subramanyam told The Hindu . She said the youngster had spent a week with the family in May last.
“My grandson had left for Hyderabad, promising to pursue studies in hotel management as per the guidance of the parents and his brother. However, he told us that he was running a temporary soda and sugarcane juice shop there,” she said. Speaking on Subramanyam’s association with the Islamic State, Ms. Jayamma said there were a few instances of arguments between him and his father over his strong friendship with Muslims in Machilipatnam.
“Our boy told us that he was visiting Gujarat to appear for some competitive examination a few years back. He returned home after spending 35 days there,” she said on his visit soon after he converted to Islam in 2014.
His parents could not be contacted as they were called by the police for investigation.
