PTI, 21 December 2022, 15:03 IST
Security agencies want to know the motives of a family suspected of leaving their home in Kerala six months ago and moving to Yemen, believed to be home to highly religious groups.
A police officer investigating the matter locally said the family of husband, wife and their four children had been in Dubai for work for the past 12 years.
They visited their homes in Kasaragod district six months ago after a death in the family. From there, he suspects they traveled to Yemen, he said.
“Any illegal movement of Indian citizens to countries like Yemen is a matter to be reported (officially). The intention of the family suspected to have traveled to Yemen is not known,” police told PTI.
The husband and wife are MBA graduates from Bengaluru and their children are aged one, two, eight and 12, he said.
Responding to a question, the police said that it cannot be categorically said that they have gone to the West Asian nation after being attracted by the ideology of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
“There could also be religious reasons for disappearing from the country. Some of Yemen’s religious institutions are favorite destinations for the deeply religious,” the official said.
In the past, the state police had said that many people from Kerala had joined IS over the years.