5 members of Mumbai bizman’s family joined Islamic State in June

Twenty-six-year-old Ashfaque Ahmed’s family had no inkling before he, his wife, infant daughter and cousins Mohammed Siraj (22), a businessman, and Ejaz Rehman (30), a medical practitioner, left the country to join the Islamic State (IS) in June.

“This is shocking. Four members of an extended family were inclined to join the banned outfit. We are questioning preacher Mohammed Haneef+ , now in crime branch custody, about his role in instigating Ashfaque and others to join IS,” said a crime branch officer.

In the last week of June, Ashfaque’s youngest brother received a message on his mobile from him, saying he had migrated to IS territory and did not want to come back. “Take care of mother and father,” read the last line.

His father, Abdul Majeed, filed an FIR on August 6 naming Haneef, Abdur Rasheed, a Kerala school teacher who travelled to Syria with Ashfaque, Navi Mumbai resident Arshi Qureshi and Kalyan resident Rizwan Khan as the ones who “instigated his son to join IS.”