IS link:NIA begins questionning of two brothers in Rajkot jail

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Monday began interrogation of Wasim Ramodiya and his brother Naeem Ramodiya, arrested in 2017 for their alleged IS links, at the Rajkot jail in Gujarat, officials said.

In a chargesheet filed in August 2017, the NIA had said that both the accused "are highly radicalised and sympathisers of terrorist organisation ISIS".

"A four member team of NIA has started questioning of the Ramodiya brothers in our jail," said a Rajkot jail official.

Lawyer of the Ramodiya brothers, Ilyas Khan Pathan, said the NIA had earlier given an intimation that it would conduct questioning of both the accused for around a week beginning Monday.

"I have been informed that the questioning would go on for one week, starting from Monday. The purpose of the questioning is to find out more about the brothers' link with Mufti Abdus Sami Quasmi," said Pathan.

Quasmi was arrested by the NIA in February 2016 on the charges of radicalising some youths in Gujarat and other parts of the country.

The Ramodiya brothers were arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in February 2017 from their houses in Rajkot and Bhavnagar.

The case was then handed over to the NIA.

Since their arrest, the brothers, who were allegedly radicalised by Quasmi, have been lodged in the Rajkot jail.

In its chargesheet, the NIA had said both the accused "are highly radicalised and sympathisers of terrorist organisation ISIS".

The chargesheet further stated that the brothers had planned to carry out "lone wolf attacks" on kafirs (non-believers).

Wasim Ramodiya even bought fire crackers, a battery and a connector to make a bomb, it said.

As per the chargesheet, various digital evidences as well as material to prepare an IED were also recovered by the ATS at the time of the arrest of the brothers.