Hyderabad, 19 Dec

Sajid Akram, the slain suspect in the recent mass shooting in Australia, visited Hyderabad six times over a span of 27 years after leaving India in 1998, Telangana TGP Shivadhar Reddy said on Friday.

He said the Telangana police initiated an inquiry after the address mentioned in Sajid Akram’s Indian passport was traced to Hyderabad.

During the inquiry, police found that Akram was born in Hyderabad and visited the city for the first time in October 2000 after migrating abroad in 1998 for education and employment.

He was accompanied by his European wife during that visit.

He later visited Hyderabad in 2004 and again in February 2009, following his father’s death, though the visit was not for attending the funeral, the DGP said.

Akram subsequently visited the city in July 2012 and March 2016 to settle property-related matters with his family members.

"His last visit was in July 2022, ostensibly to meet his mother and sister. This is all the information we have regarding his links to Hyderabad. We have no information suggesting his radicalisation took place here or that he had any such links in the city," Reddy told reporters.

He was responding to a question on whether Akram’s visits to Hyderabad could have contributed to his alleged radicalisation or if he had any local connections.

According to Telangana Police, Akram’s visits to India after migrating to Australia were primarily for family-related reasons, including property issues and visits to elderly relatives.

At least 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi beach in a mass shooting on 14 December.

Australian authorities have described the incident as a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State.

According to officials, the suspects were a father and son, aged 50 and 24. The older man, identified as Sajid Akram, was shot dead, while his son is undergoing treatment at a hospital.