Involvement with Neo JMB: Mother of arrested Indian national wants punishment

The mother of 25-year-old Indian national Ayesha Jannat Mohona who was arrested in Dhaka for her alleged links to terror group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, wants strong action against her as per the law.

"I want her to be punished as per law," Mohona's mother Geeta Debnath told media at her home in Dhaniakhali, a small town in Hoogly district of West Bengal, on Sunday as she struggled to hold back her tears, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Daughter of a daily wage-earner, Mohona, who was Pragya Debnath before converting, went missing in September, 2016.

Mohona was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Bangladesh police and has been charged with recruiting people for terror activities and raising funds, among others.

Mohona's mother claimed she had no idea about what was going on with her.

"My daughter was absolutely normal. I clearly remember the day my daughter left home, never to return again. One morning ahead of Durga Puja in 2016, Pragya left home saying she was going out on errands," she said.

"It was September 25, 2016. A few hours later when we called her, the mobile was switched off. We searched frantically but Pragya was nowhere. Finally, we went to the police and lodged a complaint," Geeta, 50, said.

Two days later, Geeta received a call from her daughter.

"Pragya called me around noon and told me she is in Bangladesh and has embraced Islam," the mother said.

"She sought my blessings and said this was the last time she would speak to us. The number from which she called has been unreachable ever since," according to Geeta.

Mohona's neighbours in Dhaniakhali said she did not have many friends and was reticent. "She was a simple college-going girl who would always smile when she met people on the road," Sushil Bera, a neighbour, said.

Geeta said her daughter would cycle a kilometre to the college every morning and return by afternoon and there was nothing unusual in her behaviour.

The mother came to know about the arrest of her daughter from the media.