MHA asks Telangana to get tough on ''repeat offender'' youths

The Union Home Ministry has asked the Telangana government to get tough against three youths, who were intercepted in Nagpur minutes before they were to fly to Srinagar to allegedly join jihadi groups first and then ISIS. The youths -- Mohd Abdulla Basith, Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini and Maaz Hasan Farooq -- were arrested last night upon arrival in Hyderabad after a clear instruction from the Home Ministry not to let them off for the second time, official sources said. The three youths were let off earlier in September 2014 when they attempted to go to Afghanistan, Iraq-Syria via Bangladesh, along with two others -- Abrar and Noman. At that time, the youths were neither arrested nor slapped with any criminal case. Security officials were of the opinion that first time offenders can be handled with a lenient approach but repeat offenders have to be taken seriously and action have to be taken, sources said. "A message has to be sent to everyone that if anyone willingly tries to commit same mistake again and again, he or she has to face law. The message has to be loud and clear. There will be no leniency to the repeat offenders", they said. Basith, Hussaini and Farooq, all cousins and aged around 20-22, were brought to Hyderabad yesterday and after sustained interrogation put under arrest. The youths were today produced in a local court which remanded them in judicial custody. The youths, related to former president of Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) late Syed Salahuddin, were booked on charges under sections of IPC 121 (of waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the government), 121-A (conspiracy to wage war against government), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), and also under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Police is expected to seek their custody tomorrow for further investigation and examine witnesses. Sources said the trio have reportedly confessed to have jihadi ideology and in this regard they entered into criminal conspiracy and tried to go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine via Kashmir for furtherance of unlawful activities and in order to join hands with jihadi forces of ISIS/ISIL to wage war against states - India or elsewhere. They also confessed to have decided to meet Asiyan Andrabi, chief of Dukhtaran-e-Millat in Kashmir and seek her help to cross the border to enter PoK. The three youths were nabbed in a joint operation by Maharashtra ATS and Telangana police when they were about to board a flight to Srinagar on Saturday.