New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against all the six “key accused” in the Maharashtra Islamic State (IS) terror module that it busted in June.
In a statement, the counter-terrorism agency said that a probe into the module revealed a “complex network” of individuals working on the directions of foreign-based handlers and hatched a “larger conspiracy”.
The NIA had conducted raids in Mumbai, Thane, and Pune during which it had seized several incriminating materials, such as electronic gadgets and several IS documents. Later, the NIA crackdown was carried out in neighbouring Karnataka as well.
Tabish Nasser Siddiqui (Mumbai), Zubair Noor Mohammed Shaikh alias Abu Nusaiba (Pune), and Sharjeel Shaikh and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala (Thane), Aakif Ateeque Nachan (Borivali-Padgha) and Dr Adnan Ali Sarkar (Pune) were named accused in the chargesheet.
Zulfikar and Aakif were already charge-sheeted in another case for allegedly fabricating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), it said.
They are all members of the proscribed IS outfit and had hatched a conspiracy to further the terrorist activities of the organisation, with the intention to strike fear & terror amongst the people and threaten the security of India its secular ethos & culture and the democratic system of governance,” the NIA said in the statement Thursday.
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What probe revealed
All the accused were raising funds to finance their plans and were actively inducting individuals into the terror outfit, who were given ‘Do It Yourself’ kits to actively spread its violent and extremist ideology, it said, adding that Tabish and Zulfikar had also taken an oath of allegiance to the outfit’s self-declared leader.
Investigators also found “incriminating materials” and propaganda magazines published by the IS such as ‘Voice of Hind’ and ‘Voice of Khurasan’.
The probe began after the NIA Mumbai branch registered a case on 28 June following inputs from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) about these accused hatching a conspiracy to “wage a war against the government by promoting the terrorist activities of the IS.”
The breakthrough took place 3 July when Tabish, Zubair, Sharjeel, and Zulfikar were arrested after raids. On 27 July, Dr Adnan, an anesthesiologist, was held from his residence in Pune.
Dr Adnan, who holds an MBBS and MD degrees from B.J. Government Medical College in Pune, was waging a war against the government by attempting to “disturb the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country”, the NIA alleged.
Aakif was arrested 6 August for his alleged role in the fabrication of IEDs for blasts. He was also taken into custody in a Pune-based Al-Sufa module case in which he allegedly worked with Zulfikar, Mohd Imran Khan, Mohd Yunus Saki, and Abdul Kadir Pathan. The four accused were arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police.
(Edited by Tony Rai)