Hyderabad man’s involvement in Australia shooting ‘insult’ to India: Telangana BJP chief

Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao called the involvement of Hyderabad-born Sajid Akram in the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Australia an “insult” and a national security concern, urging local police to investigate his migration and connections abroad

Hyderabad: The involvement of a Hyderabad man in the recent mass shooting at a beach in Australia is not only an “insult” to India, but also a grave security concern, Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao said on Wednesday.

Sajid Akram, one of the suspects in the recent shooting at Bondi beach in Australia that left 15 people dead, is originally from Hyderabad, the Telangana Police said on Tuesday.

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The BJP leader urged the Telangana police to inquire into the circumstances under which Akram left India and also with whom he maintained contacts after moving to Australia.

“The Hyderabad connection with the terror act (in Australia), though it is a matter of insult to us, is also a serious national security concern. Telangana police should now inquire and also go deep into the circumstances and the conditions in which they (Akram) left India,” Rao told PTI.

Expressing concern that the incident “reflects a dangerous trend” that risks tarnishing the image of the country and Hyderabad, he said in order to know the family history of the accused, perhaps a police inquiry may also be required.

“Unfortunately, the people who are involved in it are from India and that too from Hyderabad. And I feel that Hyderabad, though they moved out of Hyderabad for 27 years, still has many sleeper cells for ISI and ISIS also,” he added.

Sajid Akram (50) is originally from Hyderabad, India. He completed his B.Com degree in Hyderabad and migrated to Australia in search of employment, approximately 27 years ago, in November 1998, Telangana police had said.

Akram who was shot dead, carried an Indian passport as on date.

The shooting was “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State,” Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said Tuesday.