IIT Guwahati Student Who Fled To Join ISIS Held While Traveling

The IIT Guwahati student who was reported to have joined terror organization ISIS was detained while travelling, Assam director general of police Gyanendra Pratap Singh informed on Saturday.

Initially reports surfaced that a student, identified as Tauseef Ali Farooqui and enrolled at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Guwahati, had left the mainstream to join the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Farooqui was reportedly picked up from Guwahati's Panbazar locality by members of the ISIS. The reports further claimed that he had left a mail in which he informed of his decision to join ISIS.

However, he was apprehended while traveling and was processed for further legal follow up, the Assam DGP said.

"Reference @IITGuwahati student pledging allegiance to ISIS - the said student has been detained while travelling and further lawful follow up would take place," wrote GP Singh on X.

Reference @IITGuwahati student pledging allegiance to ISIS - the said student has been detained while travelling and further lawful follow up would take place. @assampolice @CMOfficeAssam @HMOIndia

— GP Singh (@gpsinghips) March 23, 2024

It may be noted that this comes just days after the Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam Police thwarted a major terrorist plot and apprehended two high-ranking leaders of ISIS in India.

The two accused individuals were Haris Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi and Anurag Singh alias Rehan. They were intercepted at the Dharmasala area of Dhubri after crossing the international border.

Haris Farooqi, hailing from Chakrata, Dehradun, is identified as the head of ISIS in India, while his associate Anurag Singh, originally from Diwana, Panipat, converted to Islam, and his wife is a Bangladeshi national. Both individuals are described as highly indoctrinated and motivated leaders/members of ISIS in India, involved in various nefarious activities including recruitment, terror funding, and plotting terror acts using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) across India.

The duo faces multiple pending cases at NIA, Delhi, ATS, Lucknow, among other agencies. The STF, Assam, will hand over the accused to NIA for further legal proceedings against these fugitives.

Also Read: BREAKING: IIT Guwahati Student Allegedly Joins ISIS