The family members of Umar Farooq, who had been arrested for alleged links to terrorism, said on Monday that he was not connected to any militant activities.
Farooq, in his early thirties, hails from Asintola village in Gopalpur panchayat under the jurisdiction of Manikchak police station in Malda district.
He was arrested at New Town near Calcutta on Sunday in a joint operation by Delhi police and the special task force (STF). The investigators suspect that he had links with terrorist modules operating from Bangladesh and Pakistan against India.
Residents of Asintola said Farooq had worked at a local computer centre after completing his higher secondary education.
“But the small income did not satisfy him, so he went to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu for better earnings. Recently, he was working in Calcutta. His behaviour was always good, and we never noticed anything suspicious. But it’s hard to know what he was doing or who his associates were in Calcutta,” said a resident of Asintola.
Farooq's wife, Semi Khatun, said he was a victim of a “conspiracy”. “I know him better than anyone. He cannot have any terrorist links. He even called me yesterday (on Sunday), saying he would return to the village to celebrate Eid with us. Every month, he used to send me ₹5,000 to ₹10,000. I never found anything suspicious. It seems he has become prey to some conspiracy,” said the wife.
Fariiq and Khatun have two children.
His brother, Hassan Ali, works as an e-rickshaw driver. His parents, Akhtar Hossain and Rohima Bibi, said they were informed of the arrest on Sunday night.
“Our son is a mere migrant worker. He cannot engage in disruptive activities. We hear he is being branded as a terrorist. There must be some mistake. We want him freed,” Hossain said.
Some villagers, however, noted discrepancies regarding Farooq’s educational qualifications.
While his family claimed he had completed higher secondary education and earned a diploma in elementary education privately, the villagers said he had studied only up to Class VII.
Monirul Sheikh, Badiruddin Ahmed, and other villagers said they did not understand why his family presented different details.
Police sources said that anti-India posters had been affixed at a few metro stations in New Delhi. The CCTV footage reportedly identified Farooq and Rabiul Alam, a Bangladeshi national, as suspects.
Faooq allegedly travelled to Bangladesh and returned with Rabiul, and both had been living in New Town for months.
The BJP demanded scrutiny of the youth and his family’s political affiliation, while the Trinamool Congress said the law would take its own course.