Author: Mateen Hafeez
Publication: The Times of India
Date: December 14, 2014
URL:   http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/NIA-quizzes-4-who-funded-Majeed-trip/articleshow/45509173.cms

Probing Source of Money Spent On Iraq Travel

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the alleged in duction of engineer Areeb Majeed and his three friends into ISIS, found that the youths had contributed be tween Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 each for the Iraq trip. However, a big chunk of the fund for the trip was reportedly raised by a group of 4-5 youths. The suspected financiers are currently being interrogated by the NIA at its Pedder Road office.

“Majeed and his associates who went to Iraq were all students. They had saved some money which they handed over to the tour oper ators. A huge amount was raised by the other youths. However, it's still not clear whether these youths knew about the use of the money they raised. We have summoned four of them and their questioning is on,“ said an officer from the establishment.

Police said that since all four alleged financiers are still students and do not earn money , the NIA is investi gating their source is money and how it was channelised before it reached Majeed and his friends.

Majeed and three other Kalyan youths--Fahad Shaikh, Aman Tan del and Shaheen Tanki--had left with a group of pilgrims for Iraq to visit holy places in May this year. After re aching there, the youths disappeared. They called up their families and said they had joined the ISIS.

“ISIS is using a honey trap to lure youngsters. The outfit is using photos of girls on social networking sites who search and contact such boys and instigate them to join the ISIS. Majeed was lured by a girl, Tahira, but never met her. The news of his marriage with a Palestinian woman also proved to be false,“ the source said.

Majeed sustained more than one bullet injury on his body while he was in Syria. He fled to Turkey and from there was deported to Mumbai on November 30.He was arrested for waging war against India, Syria and Iraq. The NIA booked him under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for having association with a banned terrorist organiS sation and Section 125 (waging war against Asiatic nations that have good relations with In good relations with India) of the IPC.

However, filing a charge sheet under this section will require permission from the Union home ministry.

Majeed's father, Dr Ejaz, has been described by security agencies as a thorough gentleman who tried to keep his son away from such activities.