Kerala police, suspecting that the recruitment of the missing youths was carried out in Mangaluru, have turned their investigation towards to that region in Karnataka.
Kerala's Kasaragod district, from where many of those who reportedly join ISIS hail, borders Karnataka's Mangaluru district which is a highly communal area and is also a popular choice for higher education among Kasaragod students.
In response, the NIA and Karnataka police have undertaken measures to verify if anyone from Mangaluru is missing or untraceable, as some youths from the area routinely migrate to Middle East countries in search of jobs.
Police are currently trying to collect information on those who left the area, to confirm if they are indeed working in the respective nations they claim to be. Police hope to discover cases of someone who has vanished without explanation in recent times.
History of terror in Mangaluru
This is merely the latest in a long string of terrorism-related incidents in Mangaluru, which is fast turning into a hub for such activities. Investigative authorities have also confirmed that the terrorists in whole Western Indian coastal belt are being supplied with arms and armaments from Mangaluru.
Just this year, suspected terrorist Nazmul Huda from Bhatkal (also in Mangaluru) was arrested by the NIA officers on January 22.
Investigations revealed that he was the second-highest 'commander' of the ISIS in India.
Going further back, the Mumbai ATS had arrested members of Indian Mujahiddin (IM) in Mangaluru in 2008.
It was this arrest that first hinted to the fact that Mangaluru was being used as a staging area for the terrorists. The 11 suspected IM terrorists were arrested near Mukkacheri, Ullal in Mangaluru.
Among the accused, their leader Riyaz Bhatkal managed to escape, but his associate Yasin Bhatkal was arrested. He was said to be residing in a flat at Attavara in Mangaluru.
