COIMBATORE: As many as 28 youths across the State are under the scanner of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for their alleged links to the Islamic State (IS). Senior officials privy to the investigation told Express that 20 of the 28 youth were from Coimbatore district.
According to the senior official, among the 28 people, a majority was from Kerala, residing in Tamil Nadu for over a decade. They first came on the premier counter-terrorism probe agency’s radar when their suspicious movements to foreign countries were observed. The NIA soon started collecting mobile call and other social media details of the youth.
“With the help of those details, NIA continued to monitor their movements and shortlisted 28 youth in the State. Of the 28, 20 are from Coimbatore, while a few are from Madurai and Chennai,” the senior official said. Meanwhile, sources in the NIA said all the youth are in the age group of 20-25. Another disturbing detail to emerge is that all are well-educated - all are graduates, with some even having completed post graduation.
Temporary office
When Express reached the NIA office, the local police confirmed that the premier probe agency had set up a temporary office on February 19 and sleuths have been camping there to monitor the youth.