At least 15 people from Kerala go missing, families suspect IS links

Trikaripur: At least 15 people, including 5 women, are reportedly missing from Kerala and are feared to have joined the ISIS, according to relatives.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Saturday has said it is a serious matter.

The Chief Minister has directed the police to launch a probe into the matter urgently.

On Friday, P Karunakaran, MP from Kasaragod, had met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking a probe.

Karunakaran said the family members told him that the youths had left for Middle East a month ago stating that they were going for religious studies.

But for the last one month, their families had no communication from them and so they were suspicious, he said.

The youths hail from Padna and Thrikaripur in Kasaragod district and Palakkad district.

While 11 hail from Padna and Thrikaripur in the northernmost Kasaragod district of Kerala, others are from Palakkad district.

Kasaragod District Panchayat member V P P Mustafa said that during Eid, the parents of two missing youths received 'Whatsapp' messages saying "we are not coming back. Here there is Divine Rule. You also should join us".

"We have joined IS to fight US for attacking Muslims", read another message, he said adding the veracity of the messages has to be checked.

Hakim, father of Hafesuddin who is among those missing from Kasaragod, told television channels that his son had left a month ago and there was no news from him.

"If he returns as a good man, I will welcome him. If not, I do not want to see even his dead body," he said.