IT Engineer From Pune Among Four Arrested By NIA For Promoting ISIS Activities in Maharashtra

Pune 4th July 2023: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested four people from Maharashtra including one from Pune for allegedly having links with terrorist organisation ISIS. The agency conducted raids at five locations in Maharashtra on Monday including two places in Mumbai, two in Pagdha, Thane and one in Pune.

The 39-year-old IT engineer identified as Zubair Noor Mohammad alias Abu Nusaiba a resident of Pune’s Kondhwa was detained for questioning in the case on Monday and he was later arrested by NIA. The agency has also arrested three more accused identifed as Tabish Naseer Siddiqui, a resident of Mumbai, Sharjeel Shaikh and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala both residents of Padgha, Thane.

“Searches were conducted at their houses at five locations in the ISIS Maharashtra module case, registered by NIA on 28th June 2023. NIA teams seized several incriminating materials, such as electronic gadgets and several documents related to ISIS, during the searches at the houses of accused. The material seized clearly exposed the strong and active linkages of the accused with the ISIS and their efforts to motivate vulnerable youth to further the terror organisation’s anti-India agenda.” NIA said in an official statement.

“Preliminary investigations by the NIA have established that the accused had hatched a conspiracy to further the terrorist activities of ISIS, known by different names, such as Islamic State (IS)/Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)/Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daish/ Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP)/ISIS Wilayat Khorasan/Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K). ” the statement added.

NIA officials in a statement further said that the accused were trying to breach the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country and they were preparing to wage a war against the Government of India, as part of the ISIS conspiracy, by raising and operating a Sleeper Cell in Maharashtra.

It is also revealed during the investigation that the arrested accused had recruited youth and trained them in the fabrication of IEDs and weapons. The accused had also shared relevant material, including ‘Do it Yourself kits’ (DIY), amongst themselves for fabrication of IEDs and manufacture of small weapons, Pistols etc.

Further, on the directions of their foreign-based ISIS handlers, the accused had also created inflammatory media content, which was published in the magazine ‘Voice of Hind’, in furtherance of the banned outfit’s agenda of terror and violence, NIA officials said.