Why government didn't accept earlier that all were dead: Mosul survivor
Chandigarh: The lone Indian who managed to escape from the Islamic State in Iraq's Mosul in 2014 on Tuesday reiterated that all the 39 Indians who were seized were killed long ago and wondered why the government didn't believe him all these years.
"I had spoken the truth," survivor Harjit Masih said.
His assertions came after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament that the bodies of the 39 Indians were spotted using deep penetration radar. These were exhumed from mass graves and their identities were confirmed by DNA tests.
"I had been saying for the past three years that all 39 Indians had been killed by ISIS militants," Masih, a resident of a village in Gurdaspur district, told reporters.
He said they all were killed in front of his eyes. "I am wondering why the government was not accepting what I had said earlier."
However, Sushma Swaraj dismissed his claims during her statement in the Rajya Sabha. "He was not willing to tell me how he escaped," she said.
Narrating the incident, Masih, 28, said the Indians were kidnapped by the militants and they were kept hostage. After some days, the militants indiscriminately fired at them.
"I was fortunate to manage to escape from the clutches of the militants despite getting a bullet injury," he said.
The 39 who went missing in Iraq were all from poor families, mostly from rural areas of Punjab.
Their families were asked in October last year to provide their DNA samples.
Sushma Swaraj had earlier assured the families, who met her several times, that all efforts were being made to trace the missing men.
But the minister maintained all these years that there was no information confirming that the Indians were dead.
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Chennai: Eight arrested, 2 Kg Cocaine worth ₹6 Crore seized in major drug bust
Chennai: The Enforcement Bureau Police’s Central Intelligence Unit has arrested eight individuals and seized two kilograms of cocaine valued at approximately ₹6 crore in a major anti-drug operation conducted in Chennai. The bust, which took place at two key locations in the city, also resulted in the seizure of a car and five mobile phones used by the accused.
The operation began in the St. Thomas Mount area, where officers detained five suspects — all hailing from Keelakarai in Ramanathapuram district — who were in possession of one kilogram of cocaine. During questioning, the group reportedly provided information leading to the arrest of three additional individuals from the Koyambedu area.
Police identified Mahendran, a forest guard posted in Sayalgudi, as one of the key accused. He allegedly received one kilogram of cocaine from a waste collector named Pandi. According to police sources, Pandi claimed he found the narcotics washed ashore along the Ramanathapuram coast during routine waste collection. Similarly, another accused, Palaneeswaran, claimed to have discovered a separate kilogram of cocaine in the same manner.
Further investigations revealed that the alleged mastermind behind the operation was Kasim, who planned to sell the cocaine in Chennai for a significant profit. He was aided by co-conspirators identified as Mohamed Mubarak, Edward Sam, Mohamad Idris, and Kaja Mohaideen.
While the seized cocaine is believed to have arrived via the coastal route, authorities have not yet confirmed its exact origin. Efforts are underway to investigate possible international or domestic supply links.
அமலாக்கம் மற்றும் குற்றப்புலனாய்வுப் பிரிவு போலிசார் ரூ.6 கோடி மதிப்பிலான 2 கிலோ கோகைன் போதைப்பொருளை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர், போதைப்பொருள் கடத்தலில் ஈடுபட்ட 8 பேர் கைது.#Cocaine #EBCID #NIB #Dindigul #DrugAwareness #SayNoToDrugs #DrugFreeTamilNadu #Namakkuvendam #TamilNaduPolice pic.twitter.com/wcqs1XmJAA
— Tamil Nadu Police (@tnpoliceoffl) April 14, 2025
