Kasargod man exposes pro-Islamic State messages shared on WhatsApp, NIA steps in

The message was circulated in a group named 'Message to Kerala'.

A Kasargod resident exposed Pro-Islamic state messages being circulated via mass messaging services hailing the terror group.

A pro-Islamic State message being circulated via WhatsApp was brought to the notice of the National Investigation Agency after a complaint was filed. Haris Mastan, in his complaint, alleged that messages promoting the Islamic State were circulated in WhatsApp groups. He claimed to have received the message on Saturday in a group where he was added as one of the 200 members.

Mastan has alleged that the message was in Malayalam and propagated the ideology of the IS. He first filed a complaint with the Kasaragod police who informed the police top brass and the National Investigation Agency. The message was circulated in a group named 'Message to Kerala'.

In his complaint, Mastan has said that he was added to a group along with 200 other members on WhatsApp. When he asked what the purpose of the group was, he was sent a pro-IS message based on which he lodged the complaint. The administrator of the mass message group is believed to be a man from Palakkad Abu Isa who is reported missing. However, some media reports claimed that the group was started by Abdul Rashid, a native of Kasargod using a foreign number.

In a voice message shared on the group, Mastan claims that a man identified himself as Abdul Rashid, one of the 22 people who was reported missing from Kerala in 2016. He had reportedly joined the IS and shifted to the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. In the message, Mastan claimed, the speaker also dismissed information released by the National Investigation Agency about the IS recruits' death.

Authorities are now in the process of identifying the other members of the group. Some have also been questioned. All messages exchanged on the group have been traced and documented by probe officers. The admin number is said to be from Afghanistan. The complainant alleged that he was added to the group without intimation. No official statement has come from the NIA in this matter.

OneIndia News