NIA arrests two ISIS sleeper cell members linked to 2023 Pune terror conspiracy
Pune: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two absconding operatives of the banned terrorist outfit ISIS, who were part of a sleeper module involved in the fabrication and testing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Pune, Maharashtra.
The arrests were made in connection with a 2023 terror conspiracy case.
The accused, Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh alias Diaperwala, and Talha Khan, were intercepted at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Terminal 2 by the Bureau of Immigration.
The duo had been hiding in Jakarta, Indonesia, and were taken into custody by the NIA upon arrival in India.
According to the NIA, the two had been on the run for over two years and were wanted in connection with Case RC-05/2023/NIA/MUM. Non-bailable warrants had been issued against them by the NIA Special Court in Mumbai, and a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh each was announced for information leading to their arrest.
The NIA said the case pertains to a larger conspiracy by ten individuals, including the two recently arrested, to carry out terrorist activities and wage war against the Government of India.
“They had conspired to commit terrorist acts with the aim to disturb India’s peace and communal harmony by waging a war against the Government of India in furtherance of the ISIS agenda to establish Islamic rule in the country through violence and terror,” the agency stated.
Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh had rented a house in Kondhwa, Pune, which was used as a hub for assembling IEDs.
The NIA said that during 2022 and 2023, the accused not only fabricated IEDs but also conducted training workshops in bomb making and even carried out a controlled explosion to test one of their devices.
The investigative agency, which has been actively working to dismantle ISIS-linked networks operating in India, had previously filed a chargesheet against all ten accused under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code.
In addition to Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh and Talha Khan, the other eight accused currently in judicial custody include Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Abdul Kadir Pathan, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Shamil Nachan, Akif Nachan, and Shahnawaz Alam.
The NIA said that investigations in the case are ongoing.