Areeb Majeed disappeared in May from his home in Kalyan, a suburb on the eastern outskirts of Mumbai
23-year-old Areeb Majeed, who was arrested in Mumbai after he allegedly shared details of how he fought with Islamic State (IS), may have been allowed by the hardline Sunni militants to leave Iraq because he was assigned a task for India, said sources who interrogated him.
This is one of the key pieces of information that Majeed holds, say officers associated with the investigation. They say Majeed, who landed in Mumbai from a flight in Turkey on Friday morning, has so far shown no 'remorse' about his time with IS.
While speaking to reporters at Guwahati today, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, "We don't want to harass anyone and deal with it on a case-to-case to basis."
Majeed has allegedly told investigators that after he left his home in Kalyan, an eastern Mumbai suburb, he travelled to Iraq where he trained with IS for 15 days after which he fought in both Iraq and Syria before making his way to Turkey. His father had been in touch with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the country's top counter-terrorism arm, and kept them informed of Majeed's movements.
Last Sunday, they flew to Turkey and furnished emergency travel documents so that he could return home. One of the reasons why he agreed to return is reportedly because he wanted medical aid - he had been shot twice in the war zones. Majeed has reportedly said that the three other men from Kalyan who travelled with him to Iraq are alive.
Sources say Majeed, who has been sent to the custody of the NIA till December 8, will be provided with counseling and psychiatric help by the Ministry of Home Affairs with legal permission.
"We are taking a sympathetic and humane view of the situation. Also, rather than using the law, we would prefer to sensitize the youth and ensure no one joins IS," senior officials told NDTV.
The NIA has filed criminal charges against him for waging war against a foreign government.