Chargesheet filed against 17 ISIS conspirators in Bangalore, 2 arrested in Pune

New Delhi: Central anti- terror probe agency on Monday said that it has filed charge-sheet against 17 key conspirators who formed a terror group initiated by Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) terrorists Mehboob Pasha of Bangalore  and Khaja Moideen of Cuddalore for their role in furthering and perpetrating the activities of ISIS in India, especially in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The accused persons Mahboob Pasha,Khaja Moideen alias Jalal, Abdul Samad, Y Thowfeek, Syed Ali Navas, Jaffar Ali, Abdul Shameem, Imran Khan, Mohammed Haneef Khan, Mohammed Mansoor Ali Khan, Saleem Khan alias Kolar Saleem,Hussain Shariff, Ejaz Pasha alias Ezaz Pasha, Zabiulla, Syed Fasiur Rehaman, Mohammed Zaid and M Sadiq have been booked under sections  120B of the  IPC, sections 17, 18, 18A, 18B, 19, 20, 38 and 39 of The UA (P) Act, and section 25(1B)(a) of the Arms Act before the Bengaluru NIA Special Court.

This case was initially registered on January 10 this year under sections  153A, 121A, 120B, 122, 123, 124A and 125 of IPC and sections 13, 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act, 1967, at Suddaguntepalya Police Station Bengaluru and was related to Mehboob Pasha, a resident of Bengaluru, who  in association with Khaja Moideen and Sadiq Basha formed a terror group for spreading the ideology and activities of ISIS, a proscribed terror organisation in India through its off-shoot outfit known as 'Al-Hind in Bengaluru'.

"They were conspiring with other co-accused persons at the house and Al-Hind Office of Mahboob Pasha in Guruppanpalya and other places in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu since April, 2019, for carrying out terrorist attacks in South India, especially in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and for establishing Islamic Khilafat in India", the NIA said in the charge sheet. 

In furtherance of the conspiracy, Mahboob Pasha and Khaja Moideen recruited vulnerable young men, procured arms and ammunition and large quantities of explosive materials for making powerful IEDs, it added. 

The probe agency said that they also collected jungle training material to conduct training at an identified place at Shivanasamudra and Gundelpet area and for having safe hideouts. 

The accused persons were also communicating with an unknown foreign ISIS handler through secure chat 'Dark Web'for perpetrating ISIS activities in India, the` agency said, adding that  the further investigation in this case has been continued.

NIA has also declared a cash reward of Rs 5 Lacs against absconding accused Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa in this case.

NIA arrests two from Pune in ISKP case for propagating ISIS ideology

New Delhi:The national anti- terror probe agency NIA on Monday said its teams carried out searches in Pune and arrested two accused persons in connection with Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) case, for their alleged involvement in 'propagating ISIS ideology and spreading its activities' in India.

The probe agency officials said that 27-year-old Nabeel S Khatri, a resident of Khondwa in Pune and 22-year-old Sadiya Anwar Sheikh, a resident of Phulenagar area of the city were arrested following raids conducted by the NIA. The former runs a gym in Pune while Sadiya Sheikh is a second year student of Mass Communications and Journalism at Baramati, they added.

This case was initially registered by Delhi Police Special Cell on  March 8 this year after the arrest of a Kashmiri couple - Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh from Jamia Nagar in the national capital and later the NIA took over the case.

"The couple was having affiliations with ISKP, a proscribed  terrorist organisation and was  a part of ISIS, and was found to be involved in subversive and anti-national activities", the NIA said.They were also found to be in touch with Abdullah Basith, who is already lodged in Tihar jail in another NIA case of ISIS Abu Dabhi module, it added.

 The probe into  this case  revealed that accused Sadiya Sheikh was continuously in touch with Sami, Beigh and Basith on various secure messaging applications and deliberating on 'as to how to propagate the ideology of ISIS and further its activities in India', the NIA officials said, while alleging that that they were trying 'to build up a cadre of ISIS in India by recruiting gullible youth for terrorist activities'.

During the probe, it also come to light that along with Sami and Basith, accused Khatri was also actively involved in the planning to carry out violent terrorist attacks in India by arranging logistic support such as procurement of weapons, fake SIM cards, assembling of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) etc to further the activities of ISIS in India, the  probe agency said.

"It has also been revealed that Sadiya Sheikh was in contact with ISIS recruiters through social media since 2015. She was planning to execute a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir and also she was also  detained by the state police  in 2018," the NIA said.(UNI)