The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought that the three youths from Kalyan, who had allegedly left the country in 2014 to join terrorist organisation ISIS, be formally declared as absconders. There have been unconfirmed reports about the death of the three between 2015 and 2017.

The NIA moved a plea on Friday before the special court, where the trial against the fourth youth, Areeb Majeed, who was allegedly part of the group, but had subsequently returned, is currently on.

The NIA plea sought to declare Saheem Tanki, Fahad Shaikh and Aman Tandel, proclaimed offenders. The plea was moved under Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, through which a court can issue a proclamation declaring an absconding person to appear before it. Non-bailable warrants were issued against them in November 2018.

The NIA has told court that it had made efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of the three men, however, no conclusive information could be gathered and the warrants could not be executed. The NIA told the court that the three are ‘intentionally evading the process of law and avoiding appearance’ before the court.

The NIA has alleged that all four in their early 20s-had left India from their homes in Kalyan, near Mumbai on May 25, 2014, for Iraq, claiming to go for a religious pilgrimage, but had thereafter joined ISIS. A case under terror charges was filed against the four in India. In 2014, there were unconfirmed reports about Majeed’s death. In November 2014, Majeed had returned and was arrested by the police.

In 2015, there were unconfirmed reports that Tanki had died after a call was purportedly received from an unknown number in Iraq by his friend, claiming that he had died. In 2016, it was claimed that a list issued by the terrorist organisation named Tandel as one of the men killed while fighting forces in Syria. In 2017, an unknown caller in a call received by Shaikh’s family had claimed that he had died in Syria.

The NIA had not confirmed any of these ‘deaths’ and the warrants were issued against them in 2018, citing that they had remained absconding. The trial against Majeed, who was behind bars between 2014 and 2021, before being granted bail by the high court, is currently ongoing.