This story is from November 3, 2018

PHOTO: The mother of a missing Kashmiri student (L) holds a picture of her son Ahtisham Bilal as his father (C... Read More

Ahtesham Bilal Sofi

SRINAGAR: The family of, the 17-year-old Sharda University student who reportedly has joined the Islamic State Jammu Kashmir (ISJK), Saturday appealed to terrorists to have "mercy on them" and let him to return home.Ahtesham's father Bilal Ahmad Sofi made the appeal in a video message that is being shared widely on social media.Bilal said his son was the "only male heir of an extended family" and asked the terrorist to allow him to return home."Have mercy on us and let him return. Allah will have mercy on you," he said.Ahtesham, a resident of Khanyar locality in downtown Srinagar, was a first-year graduation student at the university at Greater Noida. He went missing on October 28 after he left the varsity with official permission to go to Delhi, days after he was mistakenly roughed up during a scuffle between Indian and Afghan students in the campus.Later, pictures on social media showed Ahtesham dressed in a black outfit and claimed he had joined the ISJK, an outfit influenced by ISIS ideology."Your paradise is your parents, you are the only hope of 12 family members. Did you forget that this house has seen four deaths in the last two years," said Bilal in the fervent appeal with tears streaming down his face.The mother of the teenager also pleaded and begged her only son to return home as she wept inconsolably next to her husband.Following Ahtesham's disappearance, a missing complaint was registered at the Knowledge Park police station in Greater Noida as well as at Khanyar police station in Srinagar.</s>Ahtesham Bilal Sofi was a first year graduation student at Greater Noida's Sharda University

Social media posts carrying alleged pictures of a Kashmiri teenager, who went missing from a private university in Uttar Pradesh days ago, on Friday claimed that he has joined a terror group in the Valley.

Ahtesham Bilal Sofi, 17, a resident of downtown Srinagar, was a first year graduation student at Greater Noida's Sharda University.

He went missing on October 28 after he left the university with official permission to go to Delhi.

A missing complaint was registered in the case in Greater Noida as well as Srinagar, officials said.

The pictures on social media showed Sofi dressed in a black outfit and claimed he had joined terrorist group ISJK, an outfit influenced by ISIS ideology.

The UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said it has been tracking the case since October 28 and has taken cognizance of the photos.

"We are in touch with Jammu and Kashmir police. We are tracking the footprints of the boy from Greater Noida to Kashmir," Inspector General, ATS, Asim Arun told PTI.

The Jammu and Kashmir police said they were "ascertaining" Sofi's presence in the Valley.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar police, who had traced the last location of Sofi's mobile phone to terrorism-hit Pulwama district in South Kashmir, is also probing the matter.

"A missing complaint was registered and police teams are working on the case," a senior official told PTI.

According to the police in Noida, Sofi had left for Srinagar from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in the afternoon of October 28 and reached Pulwama a few hours later.

They said his mobile phone details showed that he last spoke to his father, who lives in Srinagar, at 4.30 pm, when his location was traced to Pulwama. However, he had told his father that he was is Delhi and was returning to the university by metro, the police said.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.</s>Family members of a Kashmiri youth Ehtisham Bilal, who has purportedly joined the Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir, appealed their son to renounce terrorism and return home following a picture of him with the terrorist organisation's flag and an AK-47 was circulated online on Friday.

In a video message, Bilal Ahmad Sofi, father of Ehtisham Bilal (23), urged him to return home. "Islam does not allow anybody to disobey his parents. I appeal and order you to return home. Seeing you on the social media wherein you have claimed allegiance to the Islamic State of Jammu Kashmir has disturbed me. Your ailing mother cannot live without you," he said.

According to Free Press Kashmir, Sofi also pleaded to the militants, and Zakir Musa in particular, to send his son back and said, "My son is young and naive. For God’s sake send him home. Have mercy on us, Allah will bless you. This is an appeal from a helpless father."

Bilal, a student at Sharda University, a private university in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, disappeared on 28 October, after he left the varsity with official permission to leave for Delhi, days after he was mistakenly beaten up during a scuffle between Indian and Afghan students in the college campus.

Before he went missing, one of his family members said that Bilal had called his cousin brother, another student at Sharda University, that he was boarding a metro and would reach the hostel by 8.30 pm.

When he did not return till next morning, "a missing complaint was registered in the case at the Knowledge Park police station in Greater Noida as well as at Khanyar police station in Srinagar," officials said.

On Friday, a video purportedly showing pictures of Bilal with ISI flag and also talking about how he was mercilessly beaten inside the university’s campus was circulated on social media.

"This is a message to all who consider Jihad is a way of fighting," Bilal said. "Our blood is not white, we will give you tears of blood. I was looking into the eyes of those kufaar (non-Muslims) when they attacked me in groups like dogs, I felt I had delayed to be part of Jihad for long. But not anymore."

The pictures showed Bilal dressed in a black outfit and claimed he had joined militant group Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir, an outfit influenced by Islamic State's ideology.

According to News18, on the morning he went missing, Bilal called his father asking him for some money. "He called me at around 9.30 am. He asked me for Rs 1,000, saying he had to submit Rs 400 at the university for some trip they had to go on. I immediately called a friend and deposited Rs 5,000 to his account," Sofi recalled.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said it has been tracking the case since 28 October and has taken cognisance of the photos.

"We are in touch with Jammu and Kashmir Police. We are tracking the footprints of the boy from Greater Noida to Kashmir," Inspector General, ATS, Asim Arun told PTI.

The officials said they were "ascertaining" Bilal's presence in the Valley. The Gautam Buddh Nagar police, who traced Bilal's mobile phone last location in militancy-hit Pulwama district in south Kashmir, is also probing the matter.

On Saturday, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed his concern over Bilal reportedly taking up militancy.</s>A day after claimed that a Kashmiri student has joined a group in the Valley, the said that they cannot ascertain if the video showing him as a part of Islamic State of and Kashmir (ISJK) is fake and has become a

Nineteen-year-old Sofi is a first-year graduation student at in Greater Noida. A resident of downtown Srinagar, Sofi reportedly went missing on October 28 after he left the varsity with official permission to visit

"19-year-old is a student of the In October, he went to Later, a video surfaced showing him as a part of Islamic State of and Kashmir(ISJK). We cannot certify if the video is fake or morphed, and if he has become a terrorist," Uttar Pradesh of Police (DGP) OP Singh said at a press conference here.

Singh informed that the matter would be further investigated by the and Kashmir Police, adding that the would keep a tap on the developments that might take place either at or in

"We have shared information with the They will investigate it further. We are keeping a tap on the developments that may take place either at Sharda University (Greater Noida) or Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

The showed the Kashmiri student dressed in a black outfit claiming that he had joined the group ISJK, an outfit influenced by Islamic State of and (ISIS) ideology.

Earlier in the day, former Jammu and and Conference (NC) leader tweeted: "If this is genuine, it is hugely worrying. Sometimes seemingly small actions lead to huge consequences. If what happened to him at Sharda University has led him to choose such a destructive path it's even more tragic. One more life on the path to ruin and one more family in turmoil."

Some claimed that a section of students in the campus had questioned Sofi's appearance and a tiff ensued.</s>Missing student Ehtisham Bilal, who was pursuing BTech at Sharda University in Greater Noida, has reportedly joined Jundul Khilafah, the Islamic State's (ISIS)'s Kashmir wing.

Ehtisham went missing since Sunday and was last tracked in the sensitive Pulwama district of Kashmir after police took note of his phone calls.

Ehtisham, in an audio message that has now gone viral on social media, has pledged allegiance to ISIS chief, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, reports Kashmir Dispatch.

Ehtisham was reportedly beaten up by several students at Sharda University along with another Kashmiri student. After a fortnight, Ehtisham returned home and has joined the militant ranks.

On Thursday, Ehtisham's father, Bilal Ahmad, a businessman by profession sought help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, J&K Governor, Satya Pal Malik and former Chief Ministers, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah in helping trace his son.

He pleaded innocence on behalf of his son and said that Ehtisham was the only son he had.

Ehtishama had called home on Sunday evening telling his father that he would board a metro to Noida from Delhi and that his sight-seeing trip had ended.

However, Noida Police said that Ehtisham, in fact, called his father from Srinagar and that his last location, according to the call details, was traced to the volatile Pulwama district of South Kashmir.

The police officials were quoted by The Times of India as saying that Ehtisham had pre-planned his travel to Srinagar and already booked a Go Air flight to Srinagar on October 26.

The Noida Police further said that Ehtisham was also spotted at IGI Airport in New Delhi with the help of CCTV footage.</s>Jammu, Nov 3: Social media posts carrying pictures of a Kashmiri teenager, who went missing from a private university in Uttar Pradesh days ago, on Friday claimed that he has joined terrorism in the Valley.

Ahtesham Bilal Sofi, 17, a resident of downtown Srinagar, was a first year graduation student at Greater Noida's Sharda University.

He went missing on October 28 after he left the university with official permission to go to Delhi, days after he was mistakenly roughed up during a scuffle between Indian and Afghan students in the campus.

A missing complaint was registered in the case in Greater Noida as well as Srinagar, officials said.

The pictures on social media showed Sofi dressed in a black outfit and claimed he had joined terrorist group ISJK, an outfit influenced by ISIS ideology.

The UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said it has been tracking the case since October 28 and has taken cognisance of the photos.

The Jammu and Kashmir police said they were "ascertaining" Sofi's presence in the Valley.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar police, who had traced the last location of Sofi's mobile phone to terrorism-hit Pulwama district in South Kashmir, is also probing the matter.

"A missing complaint was registered and police teams are working on the case," a senior official said.

Also Read | 15 terrorists had moved into Kishtwar, days before BJP leader was killed

According to the police in Noida, Sofi had left for Srinagar from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in the afternoon of October 28 and reached Pulwama a few hours later.

They said his mobile phone details showed that he last spoke to his father, who lives in Srinagar, at 4.30 pm, when his location was traced to Pulwama. However, he had told his father that he was is Delhi and was returning to the university by metro, the police said.</s>members of a Kashmiri youth, who has purportedly joined terror outfit Islamic State, on Saturday urged him to abjure violence and return home.

Bilal Ahmad, in a video message to his son Ehtesham Bilal, who on Friday appeared on wielding a rifle and claiming allegiance to the Islamic State, appealed to him to return home.

"Islam does not allow anybody to disobey his parents. I appeal and order you to return home. Seeing you on the wherein you have claimed allegiance to the Islamic State has disturbed me. Your ailing mother cannot live without you".

Ehtesham's sister, Sadiqa, told her brother in the message, "I cannot live without you. For Allah's sake come back."

A student at Sharda University, a private university in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, disappeared on October 28, days after allegedly being beaten by a group of students on the campus.</s>A picture of a missing college student wielding a gun with an ISIS flag in the background has surfaced on social media, triggering concerns that he has joined the terrorist outfit. Ehtisham Bilal, a student at Sharda University, a private university in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, disappeared on October 28, days after allegedly being beaten up by a group of students on the campus.

The 19-year-old was pursuing a bachelor's degree in radiology and imaging technology at the university.

A six-minute audio has released on social media, Ehtisham is heard announced that he has joined Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir and accepting ISIS chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi as his leader.

The audio, carried with an image of Ehtisham donning a black dress and turban with the ISIS flag in the background, has gone viral.

Ehtisham is a resident of Khanyar in downtown Srinagar. His parents released a video urging have him to shun the path of violence. His mother appealed to him to return home and requested "any group" which may have "kept Ehtisham" to release him.

His father Bilal Ahmad, said that Islam doesn't allow anyone to disobey ones parents.

"Islam does not allow anybody to disobey his parents. I appeal and order you to return home. Seeing you on the social media wherein you have claimed allegiance to the Islamic State has disturbed me. Your ailing mother cannot live without you," he said.

Ehtisham's sister, Sadiqa, appealed to her brother, saying "I cannot live without you. For Allah's sake, come back."

The police say that they are trying to "ascertain the facts" regarding Ehtisham allegedly joining ISIS.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has said that the possibility of Ehtisham joining the terrorist outfit is extremely "worrying".

"If this is genuine it's hugely worrying. Sometimes seemingly small actions have huge consequences. If what happened to him at #ShardaUniversity has lead him to choose such a destructive path it's even more tragic. One more life on the path to ruin & one more family in turmoil," he tweeted.</s>Five days after a 17-year-old Kashmiri student went missing from a private university in Greater Noida, both Noida and Jammu and Kashmir Police remain clueless regarding his whereabouts, as the boy’s last location was traced to Jammu on Sunday.

Earlier, there were speculations that the cell phone of Ehtisham Bilal, a first year student of Bachelor in Medical Imaging Technology (BMIT) in Sharda University, was traced to Kashmir. However J-K Police said that they are still ascertaining the information.

“The actual missing report has been field in Greater Noida. We are in touch with police there. There are reports of his location in Kashmir. It has not been ascertained as yet. We are making efforts to search him,” said station house officer of Khanyar police station, Parvez Ahmad.

Bilal, a native of Khanyar in downtown Srinagar, had shifted to Greater Noida three months ago after enrolling in Sharda University and was living in the varsity’s hostel at the Knowledge Park area in Greater Noida.

On October 4, he was roughed up by a group of students who mistook him as an Afghan during a recent clash between Indian and Afghan students at Sharda University campus in Greater Noida. Police had lodged a first information report against 350 students of Sharda University for rioting.

At around 10.30 am on Sunday (October 28), he reportedly informed his father that he was going on a ‘sight seeing’ trip to Delhi. At 4.39 pm, he again told him that he was about to board a Metro from Delhi to Noida. However, according to Noida Police, his call details showed his location in Delhi till 12 pm and in Jammu by 2.30 pm, thereby rising speculations that he caught a flight from Delhi.

Noida Police said that they are scanning through the call details of Bilal’s cell phone to ascertain who all he spoke to in the last few days before his ‘disappearance’.

“Looking at the call details, we can say for sure that his last phone call was made to his father Bilal Ahmad in Srinagar at 4.39 pm on Sunday. Apart from his father, he also made a few short spanned calls to his friends, but nothing suspicious was found. We are still probing the case,” said Arvind Pathak, station house officer, Knowledge Park police station.

J&K police have also been looking into people who have been visiting Ehtisham in Kashmir. Sajad Shah, superintendent of police, north Srinagar, said he was not sure of any militancy connection of the missing boy.

“He was friends with a youth Fahad Waza who joined militancy and was killed in an encounter at Fateh Kadal on October 17,” said Shah.

SHO Parvez Ahmad also said that so far, no militancy connection has come to the fore.

Meanwhile, Ehtisham’s parents held a sit-in at Press Colony in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area, a day after the boy’s mother Irfana made an emotional video appeal, urging him to return home and saying that he should be “allowed to go if he is with anybody”.

His father Bilal Ahmed said that Ehtisham had invited them to the campus on Diwali holidays starting November 3. “Me and my wife were planning to spend some days with him,” he said.

Bilal said they were trying to involve police to get CCTV footage of Srinagar airport to confirm reports that he had come to the city. But airport security officials said they had not received any request from police concerned for the footage.</s>STATE TIMES NEWS

 SRINAGAR: Ehtisham Bilal, the 18-year-old student who went missing from Sharda University in Noida on October 28, has reportedly joined terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS)-Kashmir chapter. This was revealed after his picture and audio surfaced on the social media on Friday.

 Police officials, who did not rule out the possibility, said they were verifying the authenticity of the content that appeared on the social media.

Have ‘mercy on us’: Parents to terrorists Srinagar: The family of Ehtesham Bilal Sofi, the 17-year-old Sharda University student who reportedly has joined the Islamic State Jammu Kashmir (ISJK), Saturday appealed to terrorists to have “mercy on us” and let him return home. Ehtesham’s father Bilal Ahmad Sofi made the appeal in a video message that is being shared widely on social media. Bilal said his son was the “only male heir of an extended family” and asked the terrorists to allow him return home. “Have mercy on us and let him return. Allah will have mercy on you,” he said. Ehtesham, a resident of Khanyar locality in downtown Srinagar, was a first-year graduation student at the university at Greater Noida. He went missing on October 28 after he left the varsity with official permission to go to Delhi, days after he was mistakenly roughed up during a scuffle between Indian and Afghan students in the campus.

 “Your paradise is your parents, you are the only hope of 12 family members. Did you forget that this house has seen four deaths in the last two years,” said Bilal in the fervent appeal with tears streaming down his face.

 The mother of the teenager also pleaded and begged her only son to return home as she wept inconsolably next to her husband.

 Following Ehtesham’s disappearance, a missing complaint was registered at the Knowledge Park police station in Greater Noida as well as at Khanyar police station in Srinagar.



“We also saw the picture, but we are still verifying it,” a senior police official said.

 A day ago, the teenager’s family, which lives in Khanyar, gathered at Srinagar’s Press Colony and appealed to Governor Satya Pal Malik to help them in tracing him. The parents of the boy have been shattered by his mysterious disappearance and have held a series of protests appealing to the authorities to find him.

 In the picture, the boy is seen wearing black clothes and turban and his code name appears as Abu Muhammad Al-Inghamasi, where he pledges allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

 “This is a message to all who consider jihad as a way of fighting,” a voice is heard saying in the six-minute audio message.

 “Our blood is not white. We will give you tears of blood. I was looking into the eyes of those ‘kufaar’ (non-Muslims) when they attacked me in groups like dogs. I felt I had delayed being part of jihad for long. But not anymore,” it says.

 Ehtisham was pursuing BSc in radiology and imaging technology at Sharda University. His family said on October 4, he was beaten up by some students on the campus, which turned into a controversy after a video went viral.
A 17-year-old Kashmir student who disappeared from Sharda University, Ahtesham Bilal Sofi, is found to have joined the Islamic State.