NIA raids five locations in Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra to probe ISKP case
The National Investigation Agency on Saturday carried out searches at five locations in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in connection with a probe into the ISIS module in Karnataka’s Shivamogga.
Following up on leads, the central probe agency searched the house of suspects Talha Khan at Pune and Akram Khan in Seoni (MP). The case was initially registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell following the arrest of Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh from Okhla in Delhi, and the duo was found to be affiliated to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). During probe, the NIA discovered the role of another accused named Abdullah Basith, who is already lodged in Tihar jail in another case.
The NIA said it had carried out searches at three other locations in Seoni, which included the residential and commercial premises of suspects Abdul Aziz Salafi and Shoeb Khan, the agency said in a statement.
The NIA probe found that Mohamed Shariq, Maaz Muneer Khan, Yasin and others targeted public and private properties including warehouses, hardware shops, vehicles, liquor shops and other properties belonging to a particular community, having committed over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage. The trio even carried out a mock IED explosion, and were funded through cryptocurrencies by their online handler.
According to NIA, Shariq had planned to carry out an IED blast at Mangaluru’s Kadri Temple on November 19 last year. But the IED exploded prematurely while the perpetrator was en route the target location.
The NIA found the role of 40-year-old Seoni Jama Masjid cleric Abdul Salafi and automobile spare parts seller Shoeb, 26, who were allegedly propagating ‘pernicious’ ideas like voting in elections is sinful for Muslims.
Another group led by Maulana Aziz Salafi was involved in radicalising Muslim youth in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and many southern states through inflammatory speeches on YouTube, the NIA said in its statement. According to the documents seized during the searches, it has been found that the radical group was collecting information about ongoing activities and events in different Jihadi theatres including Afghanistan.
The NIA probe revealed that the accused are radically motivated individuals who abhor the idea of democracy in India and were preparing Jihad against the people who believe otherwise.
“They were using social media platforms for dissemination of such false propaganda to impressionable youth. In furtherance of such efforts, Aziz Salafi was also in contact with the arrested accused Maaz Muneer Ahmed of Karnataka, who had procured the explosive materials for the trial blast”, the NIA statement read.