As reported by NDTV, Areeb Majeed, a 23-year-old from Mumbai, was not allowed to fight in war zones when he travelled to Iraq to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group.
Majeeb flew back from Turkey to Mumbai on Friday, and was arrested the following day.
"I was studying engineering but lost interest and began thinking about Islamic countries that followed the Shariat," Majeed reportedly said.
According to the investigators, Majeed learned about the conflict between Palestine and Israel while surfing the internet, and, along with the three other men, contacted a woman named Tahira Bhatt on Facebook who claimed to be a recruiter for ISIS, NDTV said. She then instructed them to fly down to Iraq and told them representatives would meet them there.
Once there, they were trained in combat and were taught how to use AK-47s and other weapons. Majeed alleged that despite clearing various oral and written tests, they were still not allowed to join in the fighting. Majeed also claimed that the other men he travelled with are alive.
Since his arrest and interrogation Majeed has reportedly provided information to NIA officers about the identities of his handlers as well as the local contacts that helped him in Iraq. "Majeed was grilled for several hours on Sunday, after which he revealed the names of his handlers and the local contacts who radicalised him and his three other friends here, and helped them fly to Iraq. We are verifying his claims and are trying to locate these local contacts," said an NIA official. However, the officer is refusing to release the names that were given up, stating that it would affect the investigation.
As reported by dna, some scientific tests will be conducted to see if the NIA can extract more information from Majeed.