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This is an archive article published on August 2, 2016

Mother from Bihar held on way to Kabul to join Kerala youth: Police

On Monday, Yasmeen was produced in a court in Kasaragod and charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and remanded in judicial custody.

A 28-year-old woman from Bihar, who was on her way to Afghanistan to “lead a true Islamic life”, was detained on Sunday morning at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, along with her five-year-old son, before they were to board a flight to Kabul, police sources told The Indian Express.

The woman, identified as Yasmeen Muhammed, had reached the capital with the child from Patna and was planning to join one of the 21 youths from Kerala who had gone missing last month, with some of them believed to have tried to join the Islamic State, said sources.

Yasmeen, a divorcee, was detained by immigration officials “during security check” amid tense scenes after she “started screaming at officials for harassing her”, they said.

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”She was handed over to Delhi Police’s special cell and later taken into custody by a team from Kerala Police, which had issued a Look-out Circular (LOC) for her,” said sources.

On Monday, Yasmeen was produced in a court in Kasaragod and charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and remanded in judicial custody.

Sources in Kerala Police alleged that Yasmeen, a divorcee, was linked to Abdul Rashid from Kasaragod, who is believed to be a key figure behind the departure last month of youths from the state.

Sources claimed that she had worked during 2013-2014 at the Kottakkal and Kollam campuses of Peace International School, which came on the radar of intelligence agencies due to its suspected links with some of the youths who had gone missing.

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”Rashid used to send messages from Afghanistan to Yasmeen, who claimed to have been his first wife. Security agencies tracked this communication. Rashid invited her to join him to lead a true Islamic life. She had planned to reach Kabul as instructed by him,’’ said sources.

”She was to leave the country along with the Kerala youths, but could not do so due to some delay in getting her documents cleared,” said police sources, adding that Yasmeen was born and brought up in the Gulf where her parents are settled.

”She told police that she wanted to leave India as the life she wanted to lead was not possible in the country. She said she wanted to lead a life according to the Quran, and that she hated music and all forms of entertainment,” said sources.

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

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