IS case: Four detained in NIA raids in Hyderabad, Maharashtra (2nd Lead)

The NIA on Saturday carried out searches at four places in Hyderabad and Maharastra's Wardha and detained four people for questioining in connection with its investigation into the Abu Dhabi Islamic State module case, officials said.

According to a senior NIA official related to the probe, the agency carried out searches at early in the morning on the outskirts of Hyderabad and took three persons into custody for questioning.

The searches came after information from three youths arrested in August last year for alleged links with the IS, the official said, adding it was found that a person from Hyderabad was in touch with Mohammed Abdullah Basith and Mohammed Abdul Qhadeer, who were among the three. Both are currently lodged in jail.

The official said that residence of Mohammed Taaha was also raided in Hyderabad and after questioning him and his wife, he was later taken to the NIA office for questioning.

The investigating agency had filed a supplementary charge sheet against Basith and Qadeer in February this year, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against the two.

The official said that during the interrogation of Basith, he told NIA officials that Taaha had provided them shelter at Nagpur.

The official said that during the raids, the agency recovered a number of digital devices including 13 mobile phones, 11 SIM cards, an iPad, two laptops, an external hard disk, six Pen drives, six SD Cards and three Walkie Talkie sets of Kenwood and other documents.

According to NIA officials, Basith, a resident of Chandrayangutta in Hyderabad, was continuously making efforts to propagate the ideology of the Islamic State in India, for which he had entered into a conspiracy with the handlers of the global terror group and his associates. He and his associates were involved in identifying, motivating, and radicalizing gullible Muslim youths to join hands with him in the conspiracy.

Qhadeer, also a resident of Chandrayangutta, came under the influence of Basith because of their common intention to propagate the IS ideology in India, for which he had actively started meeting the other gang members.

--IANS

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