File photo: Convoy of Islamic State terrorists in Syria.
The Delhi Police have detained a 48-year-old man from Mumbai who had said in a series of Facebook posts that he was headed to join the terror group Islamic State or IS.
The police received a call on Friday from the Iraq Embassy that the man, whose name is Zubair Khan, had allegedly requested that his curriculum vitae or CV be forwarded to the Islamic State for the post of its spokesperson.
He was taken to a police station and questioned.
Mr Khan, who claims to be the editor of a newspaper, came to Delhi three days ago and had also visited the Press Council of India to ask them for a certificate that would help him gain employment as the IS spokesperson, the police said.
A few days ago he had posted on Facebook that he wanted to "surrender his Indian passport" and join the Islamic State. He had also announced his plans to travel to Delhi and visit the Iraq Embassy and the Press Council.
Police sources say so far no incriminating evidence has been found against Mr Khan. They also said that he appeared to be mentally disturbed. But they have alerted the Intelligence Bureau and other agencies, including Mumbai's anti-terror squad about his requests.
Zubair Khan's brother, Fakhruddin Khan told NDTV, "It is possible someone has hacked his account... It's a wrong thing to happen." He also said, "We will go to Delhi and speak to the Delhi Police. They have said that they have done an inquiry and he is innocent but they have kept him in the custody to clear their doubts. The inquiry is going on and they will release him."
13 Indians, most of them in their early twenties have travelled abroad in the last 18 months to join the Islamic State, government sources have told NDTV. Six of them are reported killed.
The Centre held a meeting of top bureaucrats and police chiefs from 10 states last weekend to discuss the threat of the IS, which seeks to establish a caliphate and now controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq.