IIT Guwahati Student Apprehended En Route to Joining ISIS, Investigation Underway

An IIT-Guwahati student who had allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and was on his way to join the extremist group was apprehended in Assam’s Hajo on Saturday evening, according to the police. The fourth-year Biotechnology student recently expressed his intention to join the terror organization on social media and via emails before going missing from the IIT-Guwahati campus.

Director-General of Police (DGP) GP Singh confirmed the detainment of the student while traveling, with further legal procedures to follow.

ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, is recognized as a terrorist group by numerous countries worldwide, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

Additional Superintendent of Police (STF) Kalyan Kumar Pathak stated that upon receiving the email from the student declaring his intent to join ISIS, authorities initiated an investigation. The student, who hails from Okhla in Delhi and is in his fourth year at IIT-Guwahati, was reported missing by the institute earlier.

A search operation led to his apprehension in the Hajo area, around 30 km from Guwahati, with the assistance of local residents.

ISIS India Head Arrested:

The head of ISIS in India, Haris Farooqi also known as Harish Ajmal Farukhi, along with his associate Anurag Singh alias Rehan, was arrested in Assam’s Dhubri region on March 20 after crossing over from Bangladesh, as per police reports. Assam Police Chief Public Relations Officer Pranabjyoti Goswami explained that they were apprehended by the Special Task Force (STF) in the Dharmasala area based on a lead.

Anurag Singh, using the alias Rehan, hails from Panipat and converted to Islam, while his spouse is a prominent figure from Bangladesh, Goswami added.

“Both individuals are deeply radicalized and influential figures within ISIS in India. They were actively involved in promoting ISIS’s agenda in India by planning recruitment drives, sourcing terror funding, and orchestrating terror activities involving IEDs at various locations across the country,” stated the CPRO.