NIA files chargesheet against six key accused in Maharashtra ISIS terror module case
Rhe accused allegedly had active links with Islamic State and were trying to motivate vulnerable youth to propagate the terror organization's anti-India agenda.
ISIS terror module case: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against six accused people involved in the Maharashtra ISIS terror-module case. They were involved in recruitment and fund-raising for the global terrorist organisation.
NIA files chargesheet against six key accused in Maharashtra ISIS terror module case.
NIA investigations so far in the case have revealed a larger conspiracy with international linkages and the involvement of foreign-based ISIS handlers. The investigations have also exposed a complex network of individuals committed to propagating the extremist and violent ideology of ISIS within India, NIA officials stated.
Accused are members of proscribed ISIS outfit
The accused have been identified as Tabish Nasser Siddiqui of Mumbai, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala alias Lalabhai, Sharjeel Shaikh and Aakif Ateeque Nachan of Borivali-Padgha, as well as Zubair Noor Mohammad Shaikh alias Abu Nusaiba and Dr Adnanali Sarkar of Pune. All the six accused were held in July during multiple raids in Maharashtra by the NIA in the ISIS module case.
The NIA said all six are members of the proscribed ISIS outfit and had hatched a conspiracy to further terrorist activities of the organisation with the intention to strike fear and terror among the people and to threaten the security, secular ethos and culture of India as well as its democratic system of governance.
Two of these accused, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala and Aakif Ateeque Nachan, were earlier also chargesheeted in the Pune ISIS module case for the fabrication of IEDs for triggering blasts.
Accused were propagating extremist ideology of ISIS
The accused, chargesheeted before the NIA Special Court, Mumbai, under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code, were engaged in actively propagating the violent and extremist ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and in carrying out acts preparatory to terrorist violence through recruitment of individuals to the organisation and its cause, it stated.
"Two accused, Tabish and Zulfikar, had taken an oath of allegiance (Bayath) to the self-styled Khalifa (leader) of the ISIS," the probe agency said.
What NIA found?
The accused were found in possession of incriminating material related to 'Hijrah' to Syria, along with propaganda magazines like 'Voice of Hind' and 'Voice of Khurasan' published by ISIS, the NIA said in a press note.
Further, the accused had been sharing DIY (Do It Yourself) kits with their contacts. The accused were also found to be raising funds to finance their terror plans and designs, as per NIA investigations.
The material seized clearly exposed the strong and active links of the accused with ISIS and their efforts to motivate vulnerable youth to further the terror organisation's anti-India agenda, the NIA said.
The case was registered by NIA Mumbai on June 28, 2023, against Tabish Nasser Siddiqui and others, following information received by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding a conspiracy hatched by them to disturb the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country and to wage a war against the Government of India by promoting the terrorist activities of ISIS, it added.
Further investigations in the case are continuing in accordance with the provisions of Section 173(8) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
It may be noted that ISIS, also known by the names Islamic State (IS), Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), Daish, Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, Islamic State of Iraq and Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K), has been operating through various modules to spread terror across India.
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