ugc_banner

India: 52 detained for 'having links to Islamic State' in 2016

PTI
New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Jan 19, 2017, 05:47 PM IST
main img
There has been an alarming rise in Islamic State terrorism-related cases, up from two in 2015 to 12 in 2016. Photograph:(AFP)

As many as 52 Indians, including engineers and post-graduates, were arrested last year for allegedly having links to Islamic State, India's anti-terror agency said Thursday.

There has also been an alarming rise in Islamic State terrorism-related cases, India's National Investigation Agency said, up from two in 2015 to 12 in 2016.

Four-fifths of the accused had formal schooling while the rest attended madrassas. Of the 52 arrested last year, 20 of them were graduates or engineers, 13 were high school pass-outs and 12 diploma holders.

Majority of the accused, 85 per cent to be precise, were Sunni Muslims, while the rest of them had converted from Hinduism or Christianity.

Giving details of the religious affiliations of the accused, the agency said 50 per cent belong to ' Ahle Hadith', 30 per cent to ' Tabligi /Jammat' and 20 per cent followed Deobandi.

Most of the detainees were from India's western state of Maharashtra, with 12, and Kerala (11).

(WION with inputs from PTI)