mumbai

Updated: Mar 09, 2018 00:37 IST

Afghan national Rehman Dawlaty, who was booked and wanted by Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) for helping four Kalyan youth join Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), was shot dead by the Afghan forces on May 30, 2017.

The news of Rehman’s death was confirmed by a relative of his wife, Yasmeen. He added that Rehman married her in 2011 and lived in a rented flat at Kopar Khairane for two months before they left for Afghanistan.

“It was the third day of Ramzan, when he was killed in an encounter outside his house in Kabul. We were informed about his death two months later by his brother Roshan,” the relative said. “We then called his wife, who said Reham’s last rites had been performed.”

Giving into parental pressure, Rehman’s wife returned to India with their four children last month, the relative added.

The four ISIS recruits from Kalyan On May 25, 2014, four men from Kalyan— Areeb Majeed, Fahad Shaikh, Amaan Tandel and Saheem Tanki— took an Etihad flight for Baghdad

On May 31, all four —who were in their 20s — hired a cab that dropped them to Mosul after which they were reported missing

It was later learnt that they had joined the ISIS in Syria

While Majeed returned, Tandel and Sheikh became ‘poster boys’ for the radical outfit

They were even seen in an ISIS propaganda video, urging Indians to join them

Except Majeed, who is in jail, all three are believed to be dead.

“Her parents were anxious about her safety and wanted her to return home at the earliest. Now that she’s back, Rehman’s parents are pressurising her to return to Afghanistan. But we are not sending her,” the relative added.

The relative also said several security agencies, including Maharashtra ATS and National Investigation Agency (NIA), visited their residence to record Yasmeen’s statement.

“None of the agencies harassed us. They asked questions and left after verifying our statements,” the relative added. Sources from NIA corroborated the relative’s version.

Those privy to the investigation said Rehman completed his Bachelor of Management Studies from SIES College, Nerul, and lived in a rented flat. In 2011, he met his future wife through Islamic Research Centre. Yasmeen’s family were clueless about his activities.

“We saw that he was religious and offered prayers five times in a day. We knew he was a graduate and agreed for the marriage,” the relative said.

Who was Rehman Dawlaty?

•On September 21, 2014, the Maharashtra ATS registered a case against four people — two Afghan nationals Rehman Dawlaty and Mohammed Rateb, Aadil Dolare, a businessmen from Kalyan and a manager of local hotel in Kalyan. The case was registered under the Foreigners Act

•As per records, Rehman visited Kalyan on November 20, 2013 and stayed at Raja hotel. He left for Afghanistan the next day. Dolare had then given a declaration at the foreigner regional registration office that his friend and partner from Afghanistan was coming to Mumbai for business and would stay with him

•In September 2014, during one of their business trips to India, Rehman and Rateb were picked up by the ATS for questioning. But were released after questioning

•In the charge sheet filed by the NIA against Areeb Majeed, one of the four youth who joined ISIS and is currently at Arthur Road jail, it is mentioned that he used an Iraqi number to contact Rehman and Abu Fatima, an Iraqi referred to Majeed by Tahirah Bhatt, a propagator of the ISIS

•Investigation also revealed that on Rehman’s instructions, Areeb and his three friends contacted Abdulla Hadi Rehman Al Enezi, a Kuwaiti, through WhatApp to seek financial assistance. Abdulla allegedly transferred USD1,000 (Rs65,150) on May 29, 2014, which was received by Majeed

•Majeed had contacted Rehman, Bhatt and Fatima for arranging Tarkiya (recommendation for joining ISIS).