Thrissur: Palakkad residents Yahiya and Easa who are suspected to have joined IS were converted to Islam at Mumbai and the siblings had tried to convert their brother-in-law, too. The father of the siblings Vincent of Yakkara said that his son-in-law, who is at present working in Saudi Arabia, had told him that it was not the controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik who tried to convert him while spending a vacation in Mumbai a year ago with his sons.
“My son-in-law told me that both Yahiya (Bestin Vincent) and Easa (Beckson Vincent) had taken him to the front office of an Islamic organisation and a mullah-like figure asked him to look into his eyes for some time and persuaded him to convert to Islam,” Mr Vincent said. “But my son-in-law told him that he was not interested and walked out.”
Mr Vincent also said that there was a group that assisted their sons to get married to converted Muslim women. The last WhatsApp message on July 5 from Yahiya and Easa said that they are at a place where it was not easy to make phone calls from. Easa marrieds Nimisha Fathima in July 2015 and Yahiya married Mariam in November. Palakkad DySP M.K. Zulfiquer on Sunday collected details from Mr Vincent.
