AMROHA (UTTAR PRADESH): One of the 10 ‘ISIS-inspired’ terror suspects arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday is mentally ill and has been undergoing treatment for the past two-and-a-half years, his family claimed on Thursday. According to Mohammad Irshad’s wife Shabnam, he is being treated at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in New Delhi.
“He is a simple man who drives an auto rickshaw for a living. His income was not sufficient, so I also made beedis at home to support the family. He has been in and out of hospital for quite some time now. Sometimes it is the local hospital and sometimes it is the hospital in Delhi,” she said. Irshad’s medical report, which this newspaper has accessed, shows the 35-year-old year suffering from acute bouts of depression and sleeplessness.
A doctor, who treated him at the IHBAS in the past, said: “Irshad’s condition is not normal. He shows symptoms of abnormal behaviour. Though his condition cannot be termed as something major, his cognitive response time is very low when compared to normal individuals.” But the doctor refused to comment on whether such a condition could hamper his ability to participate in something as big as a terror plot.
Irshad was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday on charges of arranging a hideout for storing the materials used in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and bombs. His family claimed that a group of 10-12 NIA officials broke into their house in a narrow bylane of Mohalla Qazi Zada in Amroha while Irshad was asleep and dragged him away.
“My family was told that he was being taken for questioning and he would be back in an hour. He is yet to return. I got to know of this around 5 am as I was away in Delhi to attend a funeral,” said Aurangzeb, Irshad’s brother. Aurangzeb and his family are clueless about their next step. “All we can do is wait and watch. He will be in our prayers. We know he is innocent and we just hope justice is done,” he said.
Remanded in 12-day NIA custody
A Delhi court on Thursday allowed 12-day custodial interrogation by NIA of 10 people who were allegedly members of an ISIS-inspired group. The court allowed the NIA to handcuff the suspects while taking them to various places for investigations.