Bhatkal, Jul 20: A day after extremist group Ansar ul-Tauhid ul-Hind announced that 38-year-old Anwer Beli had been killed in Afghanistan, his parents in coastal town of Bhatkal identified the photograph tweeted along with the message of his death as that of their eldest son, but denied any knowledge of his death.
“The face in the photographs I have seen is that of my son but the attire he is wearing is not his. It is an edited photograph with his face. We don't know where he is at present,'' said Anwer Beli's father, Mohammed Yusuf Beli (65) who lives in Bhatkal with his wife and four other children.
He said Anwer had been working in Dubai for many years and was in touch with his family in Bhatkal till about a year ago. The family said they had learnt from relatives and others that Anwar had disappeared from Dubai about a year ago.
“We have no information about his death. As far as we know, he is still working in Dubai. He could not have died. The message must be a prank,'' said Yusuf Beli. He said his son was working in Dubai as a taxi driver, after earlier working in Kuwait.
“Many people have been calling us and asking us if our son has died. We have no information on his death. We would be grateful if someone would let us know,'' he said.
He said he fell out with his son after he married a woman of his choice in Dubai three years ago. The couple had no children after two failed pregnancies, he said.
The family, which traces its origins to the Malabar region of Kerala, has been living in Bhatkal for four generations. Anwar Beli, the eldest of four sons and a daughter, drove auto-rickshaws and mini-trucks in Bhatkal before moving to Kuwait about eight years ago.
“We did not know about his involvement in any illegal activities until a couple of months ago when the NIA came here and said he was wanted in a terrorism case. Notices were issued proclaiming him as an absconder at that time,'' Yusuf Beli said.
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