Pune Man’s Home Searched by NIA in Connection to Islamic State’s Expansion Plan
Pune/New Delhi, 13th March 2023: On Sunday, National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at four locations in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni and one location in Pune, Maharashtra, as part of an investigation into a plot by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) to expand its activities in India. As part of the operation, the homes of Talha Khan in Pune and Akram Khan in Seoni were searched by the NIA teams.
The case was initially registered by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell after the arrest of a Kashmiri couple, Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh, from Okhla in Delhi, who were found to be associated with the ISKP. Further investigations led to the identification of another accused, Abdullah Basith, who is currently in Tihar Jail on another case being investigated by the NIA.
On the same day, the NIA also searched three other locations in Seoni as part of the Shivmoga IS conspiracy case. The searches targeted the residential and commercial premises of suspects Abdul Aziz Salafi and Shoeb Khan.
The group, led by Maulana Aziz Salafi, was allegedly radicalizing young Muslims from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and several southern states through provocative and inflammatory speeches on YouTube. They were actively collecting information about ongoing activities and events at different places, including Afghanistan, and were trying to bring together radicalized individuals in the Seoni district.
The accused, including Mohamed Shariq, Maaz Muneer Khan, and Yasin, had targeted public and private properties, such as warehouses, liquor shops, hardware shops, vehicles, and other properties belonging to members of a particular community, committing over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage. They even carried out a mock improvised explosive device (IED) blast. The group was being funded with cryptocurrency by their handlers.
The group had planned to carry out an IED blast in Mangalore’s Kadri temple on November 19 as part of a larger conspiracy. However, the IED exploded prematurely when the perpetrator was on his way to the target location.
During the search, Salafi and Shoeb were found to be actively propagating malicious ideas such as “voting in elections is sinful for Muslims.” According to initial examination, the suspects are “radically motivated individuals” who oppose the idea of democracy in India and are preparing to carry out Jihad against those who believe otherwise, the agency said.
The NIA is continuing to investigate the matter, and more details are expected to emerge in the coming days.
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