Family of four from Kasargod, Kerala under scanner for entering Yemen

New Delhi, Dec 26: A young couple and their four children in Kerala are on the radar of the police after they visited war-torn Yemen illegally.

The family from the Padna panchayat in Kasargod district of Kerala were living in Dubai for the past ten years and they had entered Yemen illegally, the police have learnt. The Kerala police learn about this following investigations by the National Investigation Agency on Tuesday December 20. The relatives of the missing family members were summoned by the police on Wednesday to the Chandera police station where they were told to filing a missing complaint.

The police officer according to news agency PTI said that any illegal movement of an Indian national to countries such as Yemen have to be reported. The intention of the family which travelled to Yemen is not known as yet, the police also said. The police also said that it is impossible to say with certainty that the individuals had travelled to the country because they were drawn to the ideology of the Islamic State, which is active in Yemen. There could be religious reasons as well for their disappearance from the country. There are some religious institutions in Yemen which are favoured destinations for extremely religious people, the official also added.

The police learnt that the family was living in Dubai for 10 years. This is why we do not know why they went to Yemen. The man who went to Yemen with his family is a regional manager and trainer of a leading business improvement and management company, the police also said. The company has branches in Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Bengaluru and Kochi and the man in question is with the Dubai branch and would often travel to Gulf countries, the police have also learnt.

While the police have not revealed the the nature of the wife's employment is, they have learnt that she hails from Thalassery in Kannur district. Both the husband and wife are MBA graduates from Bengaluru. They had taken their children aged, three, five, six and nine years to Yemen, the police said.

According to a family friend, the family had visited Kerala for a week in June owing to the death of a close relative. The man however stopped communicating with friends four months back. He is in contact with only the immediate family members through messages. He had communicated to them that they had gone to Yemen to study Islam and Arabic. The family had also told their close relatives that they will return after one year.

What has raised concerns among the security agencies is that Yemen is a hot recruitment ground for the Islamic State. This development comes in the wake of two more youth from Vadekapuram in Padna district entering Yemen from Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Kasargod police is however unaware of this development.