ISIS case:NIA conducts searches in Hyd, Wardha; four suspects

The National Investigation Agency Saturday conducted searches at three places here and Wardha of Maharashtra in connection with an ISIS module case, and picked up four suspects for questioning, the agency said.

As part of the investigations into the 2016 Abu Dhabi module case, based on reliable information, NIA carried out searches and seized several digital devices and other documents from the houses of the four suspects, whose questioning is going on, the agency said in a release.

The National Investigation Agency is probing a case since 2016 where it is alleged that the members of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were involved in a conspiracy to identify, motivate, radicalise, recruit and train Indian Muslim youth on behalf of the proscribed outfit to carry out terror activities, according to the release.

In January 2016, the NIA had registered a case against three accused Sheikh Azhar-ul-Islam, Adnan Hassan and Mohammed Farhan Shaikh and they were arrested on arrival to Delhi from Abu Dhabi.

The digital devices seized included 13 mobile phones, 11 SIM cards, one iPad, two laptops, one external hard disk, six pen drives, six SD Cards and three walkie talkie sets, it said.

In August 2018, the NIA had arrested two alleged ISIS sympathisers--Mohammed Abdullah Basith and Mohd Abdul Qhadeer from Hyderabad as part of its larger probe into Indian youngsters being radicalised to carry out terror strikes on behalf of the banned international outfit.

On February 7 this year, the NIA had filed a supplementary chargesheet against two accused in connection with its probe in the Abu Dhabi module case and the fresh raids were being carried out in connection with this module based on "fresh inputs", official sources said.

According to the agency,Basith was connected with accused Adnan Hassan and some of his associates were in regular touch with each other and conspiring to further the activities of ISIS.