Hyderabad: A former Google employee in Hyderabad has been kept under surveillance by the police who suspect he was trying to travel to Saudi Arabia and eventually join the militant group Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS.
The 30-year-old man reportedly quit Google some months ago and had a visa to go to Saudi Arabia for work. He has been questioned over his conversations on social media.
The police allege that they found the conversations "suspect" and he may have been influenced by online propaganda.
The software professional has not been arrested but the police say he has been "bound over" as part of security proceedings in connection with the "dissemination of seditious material." This means he has to report to the police regularly and can't leave the city.
Islamic State, the hardline Sunni Muslim group, has gained control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Security and intelligence officials have been concerned about educated young people getting drawn into Islamic State propaganda on social media chat-rooms.
Last month, four students who dropped out of engineering colleges were caught in Kolkata and brought back to Hyderabad; they were reportedly trying to cross over to Dhaka and then travel to Iraq to allegedly join the Islamic State.
The police did not arrest them but let them off after counseling and a warning. The students allegedly gave information on 11 others who had been influenced on social media.
Two men from Maharashtra were arrested last week by the Hyderabad police after their conversations on social media were monitored and found "objectionable".
Top army commanders and Intelligence officers have warned that India's security agencies must take seriously the threat of Islamic State being able to recruit online in India.
But sources say tracking such activities on social media is also easier; investigators, for example, can enter chat-rooms anonymously and get information.
The 30-year-old man reportedly quit Google some months ago and had a visa to go to Saudi Arabia for work. He has been questioned over his conversations on social media.
The police allege that they found the conversations "suspect" and he may have been influenced by online propaganda.
Islamic State, the hardline Sunni Muslim group, has gained control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Advertisement
Last month, four students who dropped out of engineering colleges were caught in Kolkata and brought back to Hyderabad; they were reportedly trying to cross over to Dhaka and then travel to Iraq to allegedly join the Islamic State.
Advertisement
Two men from Maharashtra were arrested last week by the Hyderabad police after their conversations on social media were monitored and found "objectionable".
Advertisement
But sources say tracking such activities on social media is also easier; investigators, for example, can enter chat-rooms anonymously and get information.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Gemini AI to Get US Broadcast Coverage at Olympics 2024 as Google Signs Deals With Team USA, NBCUniversal "Too Little Too Late": Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal Slams Google For Slashing Maps' Fee Google Offers a First Look at Pixel 9 Pro Fold; Set to Debut in India on August 14 Alongside Pixel 9 Pro Massive Worldwide Microsoft Outage: Flights, Markets, Stock Exchange Down CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor: The Culprit Behind World's Biggest IT Outage In 1st Statement After Outage, CrowdStrike CEO Says... Why Some People Are Happy When They Are Dying Triptii Dimri's Sheer White Dress Only Gave Good News To Fashion Fans "Attack On Constitution": Priyanka Gandhi Hits Out At Kanwar Yatra Order Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.