KOCHI: Neighbours of Murshid Hasan, suspected Al-Qaeda operative arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Pathalam on the outskirts of the city, don’t know much about him as he was rarely seen outside the house.
The news of his arrest has come as a shock for them as they never expected that a house in their locality would be used as a hideout by an alleged member of a global terrorist organisation.
“We don’t know whether he is a terrorist or not. But the news of his arrest by NIA for being a suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist is shocking. He started living here only two months ago and we don’t know much about him,” said Ashraf, who lives next to the house from where the NIA sleuths nabbed Murshid.
“For the past two years, the house is being used as an accommodation facility for migrant labourers. Earlier, around 15 people used to live in the house but due to lockdown, many left and now only six are staying there.
"We never noticed any suspicious activities or strangers visiting the house,” he said. Another neighbour said Murshid Hasan was rarely seen outside.
“Ever since the Covid outbreak and subsequent lockdown, people have been generally staying indoors and we don’t know what these migrants were into and where they worked,” he said.
Majeed K J, brother of the owner of the house where the migrants were staying, told TNIE that it was a West Bengal native, identified as Hafeez, who brought workers from his state for various contract work.
“Hafeez has been staying in Kochi for the past 20 years and he used to take up various contract work,” he said. “Murshid had been working as a daily labourer at various sites ever since he came to Pathalam,” he said.
Migrants camping in large numbers
An intelligence officer said there are several houses in the locality where migrant labourers are camping.
“The local residents don’t know who these people are and where they work. As mask is mandatory due to the pandemic, locals don’t know who comes to or goes from these houses,” the officer said.