In 2007, two brothers - Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed - put Bengaluru on the international terror map when they were named in the Glasgow bombings. Kafeel was killed in the suicide bombing in the Scottish city. His brother, Sabeel was later given a clean chit by UK investigators. Recently, the National Investigation Agency claimed Sabeel is involved in a fake currency racket and got Interpol to issue a red corner notice against him. But Sabeel's family says is already in detention in Saudi Arabia over the last nearly three months for unknown reasons. Sabeel’s father-in-law, Syed Saadatullah spoke to CNN-News18 saying neither Indian nor Saudi authorities were providing any information.
CNN-News18: Has Sabeel been detained by Saudi authorities? And for what reason?
Saadatullah: We received a call from our daughter on 9th of February, saying that after Sabeel came back from his night shift at the hospital and was sleeping at home, around 12.30 noon, 10-12 people from the local Saudi authorities barged into the home without any warning, ransacked the place and took Sabeel away without giving any reasons. They also took away all the electronic gadgets that were around in the house, like laptops, mobiles and what not.
CNN-News18: Did they give any reason why he was being taken into custody? How did your daughter know they were from Saudi authorities?
Saadatullah: When they walked in they told them something in Arabic. They hardly spoke any English , and from whatever my daughter could pick up, she came to know they were from Saudi authorities. Their faces were covered, so it was more like a raid on some illegal activity. We were shocked.
CNN-News18: Did they tell your daughter why he's been picked up?
Saadatullah: No, not at all. They did not give any reason, and they said they will come to know later why he's been picked up.
CNN-News18: Take us through what has happened since then. Do you know where he is right now, and what are the charges against him?
Saadatullah: The very same day, my daughter called up the local Indian embassy in Riyadh and gave all the information about Dr Sabeel, his passport number, where he is working. They did not have any clue. They said, they will contact once they know. Two or three days later, when she called, they said they still didn't have any information. To this day, we have not got any help from the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. We are still clueless about why he was picked up, and what was his fault, and what is the problem. We are still shocked and we are running from pillar to post here, as well as in Saudi Arabia.
CNN-News18: Have Saudi authorities got back to your daughter and told her where he is? It's been almost three months now?
Saadatullah: No, nobody came back to us here in India, or to my daughter. After a week, they went to the hospital where he was working. They tried to contact the director, but the director was clueless about why he was picked up. But eventually, after a week or so, the director got a mail from local police authorities telling him to suspend Sabeel's work and that an investigation is on.
CNN-News18: This letter came from Saudi authorities?
Saadatullah: It's not a letter. I think, the hospital administration received a mail from the Saudi authorities saying Dr Sabeel is in their custody.
CNN-News18: Have any government agencies tried to contact you personally, or tried to get any information from you about Sabeel?
Saadatullah: In India, nobody. We came to know of everything from my daughter in Saudi Arabia. We got some bits of information from the internet, but it was nothing concrete.
CNN-News18: Have Saudi authorities informed your daughter that he is being interrogated by any Indian agency or that he has been deported to India?
Saadatullah: We are clueless. We don't know who were the men who picked him up, and whether there were any Indian officials with them. When we approached the local station , they said we cannot register a complaint against investigating authorities. Friends said they might let him go after two months , but it's almost three months now. You can imagine the condition of my daughter and her four-year-old daughter and Sabeel's mother. They are totally helpless.
CNN-News18: What were your attempts to reach out to Indian agencies, other than the Indian Embassy. Have you appealed to the ministry of external affairs.
Saadatullah: Yes. A couple of days ago my daughter wrote a mail to the minister for external affairs, Sushma Swaraj, giving all the details. We are waiting for their response.
CNN-News18: What we are picking from government sources is that Sabeel had contacts with Anzar Shah Qasmi here. As you are aware - Qasmi has been arrested by agencies from Bengaluru last month, and there is a fake currency network case against him. What do you know about him? And, what do you know about Sabeel’s connection with him?
Saadatullah: Sabeel has not been to India for almost two years now. We don't have any information about his contact with Shah, or whoever it is, and to say he has been involved in fake currency racket - that is a shock for us. That is the last thing that Sabeel can be involved with. He is not such a person. And why should he do that?
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