Kalyan boy's death in Iraq: After mid-day report, cops scramble for info

Aman Tandel, who is said to have been killed in an air strike in Iraq

While Naeem Tandel did not hear of his son Aman's life in Iraq after he allegedly left home to join the Islamic State, he got a call from a mystery man in Turkey, informing him of Aman's death in an air strike in Iraq. Yesterday, following mid-day's report, the police approached the family to confirm the news.

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"Yes, we received a call from an unknown person on Saturday night informing us about the death. I cannot speak about it as I am in shock," added the father confirming mid-day's November 28 report stating that the caller didn't reveal his identity. "I believe it and will inform the agencies accordingly," said Naeem. Aman was his only son and he wanted him to become an engineer. The news has quickly spread in Kalyan, as four youths from the suburb including Aman, were the first reported to have left the country to allegedly join IS in May 2014.

Cops await statement
While local police and investigating agencies also received the confirmation, they could not take the family's statement as they were reeling from the shock of the news. Dilip Suryavanshi, senior police inspector, Bazarpeth police station said, "After we heard about the news, we contacted the family members and found that they received a call on Saturday night from an anonymous person who informed about Aman's death. We tried to trace the number, but found it to be an online or satellite call. The family is mourning and relatives are gathering at their residence. So the father told us that he would visit us soon so that we can take his statement to get further confirmation." The different investigating agencies have started gathering information about the call from relatives and friends and are further putting together details to trace the call.

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What about Tanki?
Aman, along with Areeb Majeed, Fahad Shaikh and Saheem Tanki had left from the country in May 2014, to go to Baghdad for a pilgrimage and then allegedly joined IS. Majeed returned in November 2014 and is in police custody. Last year, reports quoting IS-affiliated websites said that Tanki had died, but his family has rejected the claims. Majeed was also reported dead in August 2014, a couple of weeks before he returned home. The only one left in Iraq now is Fahad.