Family of Aman Tandel, one of four youngsters who left Kalyan home in 2014 to fight alongside IS in Iraq, says mystery call from Turkey informed them that their son had been 'martyred' in an airstrike



Aman Tandel in the ISIS' propaganda video that went viral

Aman Tandel, one of the four youngsters who left their Kalyan home in May 2014 to fight alongside the Islamic State in Iraq, has been killed in an air strike, family sources have said. Late on Sunday night, relatives and friends had started gathering at Tandel’s home.

Sources close to the family said Aman’s father Naeem received a call from an unknown person between 11 pm and 11:30 pm on Saturday night, informing him about his son’s demise. The unknown caller claimed to be from Turkey and told the family that their son has been martyred.

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The call of death

“Naeem was sitting at home after dinner, when the call came and an unknown person asked to speak to him,” a family member told mid-day. “He then told Naeem that Aman is no more. ‘Aapka ladka shahid hua hai in an air strike that is going on in Iraq. Naeem asked him for his identity but he refused.” Naeem who used to reside near Govindwadi earlier, has now shifted to Gafoor Don Chowk. Aman’s mother was with him when he received the call.

“Naeem was quiet for a while,” the family member said. “Later he said ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un’, which is part of a verse from the Quran that translates to ‘We surely belong to Allah and to Him we shall return’ something we say on getting news of a death. Both Naeem and his wife then started crying.”

Read Story: Mumbai: Family of another Kalyan youth who joined ISIS hopeful of his return

Family still in shock

News of Aman’s death started spreading among relatives and friends, who started gathering at the residence. The family has not slept since they heard of his death. None of the security agencies – including the National Investigation Agency, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad and the local police – agreed to comment on the development. No official has visited the family to take the statement of the parents as they say they do not have any confirmation of the news. The family has still not contacted the agencies.