The anxious family of 34-year-old Mohammed Ismail, who was > detained on Tuesday at Pune by NIA investigators , suspecting him of being an ‘IS recruiter’, heaved a sigh of relief after he informed the family of his release.
Confirming this to The Hindu over phone from Bhatkal, Ismail’s father Rauf Ahmed said that he received a call from his son around 11 p.m. on Wednesday that he had been released and that he was in Mumbai.
“He spoke to me for about five minutes and told me that he would be reaching home soon. The line got disconnected after about five minutes of conversation and our repeated attempts to reach him went in vain as his phone has been switched off,” an elated Mr. Rauf said.
Mr. Rauf said that Ismail had informed him that though he had been released by the NIA, he had been asked to report before the agency whenever required.
Earlier in the day, a senior government official said in New Delhi that Mr. Ismail’s detention could have been a case of ‘mistaken identity.’
A shoe salesman, Mr. Ismail was on his way to board an Air India flight to Dubai on Tuesday morning when he was detained.
In January, the NIA arrested 24 young men who allegedly wanted to establish an “IS-backed caliphate” in the country. One of the main suspects was Mudabbir Sheikh and during his interrogation, the name of one “Raoof” had surfaced.
“The person detained at the Pune airport also had Raoof in his name and since he is from Bhatkal,the intelligence agencies could have mistaken him for a terror suspect,” the official said.
(With inputs from Vijaita Singh in Delhi)
