KOCHI: Five IS sympathisers hailing from various parts of Kannur district who attempted to migrate to Syria were brought to Kochi on Monday.The accused persons were brought from the Viyyoor Central jail and produced in the NIA Court here as part of the NIA taking over the probe from the Kerala Police.
Midhilaj, 26, of Baithul Farsana, Kayippakkayil, Munderi, Valapattanam, Kannur; Abdul Rasak K V,34, of Pandara Valappil House, Palliyath, Chekkikkulam, Valapattanam, Kannur; Rashid M V, 24, of M V House, Padannotmotta, Munderi; Manaf Rahman, 42, of Zainas, Near Civil Court, Thalassery; and Hamsa U K, 57, of Thoufeek, Kuzhippangad, Thalassery, were produced before the court.
They were later remanded in judicial custody and shifted to the Kakkanad District Jail.
The NIA will now file a petition seeking the custody of the accused persons. “They will be taken into custody as part of the probe. We had interrogated these persons in another IS module-related case last year,” an NIA officer said.
The case was originally registered as Crime No. 1010/ 2017 at Valapattanam Police Station in Kannur under sections 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) in October 2017. According to the NIA, the accused were members of the proscribed terrorist organisation IS and for supporting the outfit they attempted to travel out of India to join the terrorist organisation in Syria and fight on its behalf.The NIA Delhi unit had recently filed a chargesheet against Kannur native Shajhan who also attempted to migrate to Syria to join IS using a fake passport.