Thiruvananthapuram: A 23-year-old man who went missing in Kerala is suspected to have joined the Islamic State.

Najeeb, an MTech student at VIT Vellore, has been missing since August 15.

The matter came to light after Najeeb’s parents received text messages from him which suggested that he may have joined IS.

He sent messages to his mother, saying that he had reached his destination. “I have made Hijra,” he said.

Hijra refers to Prophet Muhammad's migration (622 CE) from Mecca to Medina in order to escape persecution. The date represents the starting point of the Muslim era.

He further told them that there was no need to contact the police and search for him . He said that contacting the police will be trouble for them and not him.

Najeeb’s mother kept asking him to come back, telling him that the family will commit suicide if he doesn’t return. But all this did not have any effect on him and he said he had reached his destination.

“We all will die soon… Why do you live with non-believers, you too make Hijra… Only this land is worth it," he said.

Investigation by the police revealed that he had left the country from Hyderabad and went to Dubai. From there he went to Iran. He had a valid one-month tourist visa for Iran. Police have informed the Iran Consulate about Najeeb.

Sources said Najeeb had lived in Dubai for a long time. Police suspect that he may be travelling with someone from Dubai.​