Police said the youths, whose identities are yet to be disclosed, were suspected to have returned from Turkey.

Three youths from Kerala who joined the Islamic State and left the country to undergo training in Syria were arrested by the police in Kannur on October 25 after four months of police surveillance.

The youths were arrested by the Valapattanam Police in Kannur after they were questioned by police officers led by the Kannur Deputy Superintendent of Police P.P. Sadanandan. The three have been identified as Midilaj K.C. (26), Rashid M.P. (23), both from Munderi under the Chakkarakkal police station, and Abdul Razakh K. (24) of Chekkikkulam under the Mayyil police station limits. They had been under surveillance after they returned to the country four months ago from Turkey.

Police said that they had gone to Turkey and stayed there for three to four months and had been captured by Turkish authorities while they were trying to cross the border to Syria.

Valapattanam Police registered a case against the three on charges of joining a banned terrorist organisation under Sections 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Hinting that more arrests would be made in the coming days, Mr. Sadanandan said that those who had gone to Syria and Afghanistan to join IS saw themselves as participants in hijira (migration), and members of Islamic fighters for ghazwe hind (conquest of India). The latest case relates to those who returned to the country after joining IS, the police were also probing cases of IS fighters from the region who had been killed in Syria and Afghanistan and those who were still fighting in those countries, he added.

Three months ago, the National Investigation Agency had arrested another IS operative from Kannur identified as Shajahan Valluva Kandy of Koodali at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi after he was deported from Turkey. He too was captured at the Turkey-Syria border while on his way to carry out alleged terrorist activities.

Kannur youths Shahanad (25) of Chalad, Rishal (30) of Valapattanam, Shameer (45) of Pappinissery and his son Safwan (20), Shajil (30) of Koodali were among those who were reportedly killed in Syria and Afghanistan. In the neighbouring Kasaragode, five of the 21 people from Padanna who had gone to Afghanistan had been confirmed dead, police said adding that two youths from neighbouring Vadakara in Kozhikode district were also reportedly dead.

Police also identified Manaf and Shameer of Valapattanam and Abdul Qayyoom of Mayyil as an IS fighter still in Syria.