NIA seeks assistance of six countries in Islamic State case probe

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought assistance from six countries, including the US, UAE and Canada, in its ongoing investigation against suspected Islamic State (IS) operatives and their terror activities in the country.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought assistance from six countries, including the US, UAE and Canada, in its ongoing investigation against suspected Islamic State (IS) operatives and their terror activities in the country.

The NIA has sought assistance of six countries in its investigation of 16 Islamic State operatives arrested from across India.(Reuters File)

The probe agency disclosed this to District Judge Amar Nath in its charge-sheet against 16 suspected IS operatives, arrested from across the country allegedly on the charges of recruiting and financing people to join the terror group.

The agency claimed the accused were trying to “advance the cause of ISIS and establish Caliphate in India”. It also claimed they were seeking assistance from Maoist groups and had planned to use forests of Telangana as a hideout.

“Investigation confirmed that the accused persons were using different mobile numbers and they had contacted and interacted with their associates on web-based social media networks for purpose of recruitment, preparation of IEDs, identifying places for training and hideout and finally committing terror strikes at various public places and vital installations in India...

“In this regard, two requests under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to USA, one request under MLAT to Canada, two requests under MLAT to UAE and one letter each to Ireland, New Zealand and Sudan have been sent for collection of evidence against the accused persons,” the charge-sheet said, adding that replies to the requests are still awaited.

It claimed the IS cadres had received financial assistance through hawala transactions for the purpose of organising meetings, meeting travel expenses, recruitment and training to carry out subversive activities in India.

“The accused were trying to develop software for secured communication among the members of an organisation, Unoon-ul- Khilafa-Fil-Hind, which derived its inspiration from ISIS,” it said.

The NIA claimed members of the banned group, in connivance with a few resident and non-resident Indians, have been indulging in identification, radicalisation, recruitment and training of Indians.

The charge-sheet also alleged that some Indian youths were sent by the accused to countries such as Syria, Libia and Iraq to carry out terror attacks.

The accused, who are currently in judicial custody, were allegedly using different internet channels/ services, telephone and one-on-one meetings to further the IS’ ideology.

The accused persons against whom the agency filed the charge-sheet are Mohd Aleem, Mohd Obaidullah Khan, Nafees Khan, Mohd Shareef Moinuddin Khan, Asif Ali, Najmul Huda, Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, Mohd Abdul Ahad, Suhail Ahmed, Syed Mujahid, Mohd Hussain Khan, Mohd Afzal, Imran, Abu Anas, Mohd Azhar Khan and Mufti Abdus Sami Qasmi.

They were arrested under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code. A case was registered by the NIA on December 9 last against unknown and unidentified persons involved in the activities of the IS in India and other Asian nations.

In this case, the NIA had earlier filed a charge-sheet against 23-year-old Naser Packeer, outlining his modus operandi in identifying, radicalising, recruiting and sending Indians to join the terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

On October 5 last year, Naser was apprehended in Sudan for concealing his identity and trying to join the IS in Syria. He was deported to India on December 10, 2015.

Several incriminating documents and articles such as laptop, mobile phones, pen drives and DVDs have been seized from the accused, the NIA has claimed. The agency had filed an FIR in the matter on December 9 last year on inputs from the ministry of home affairs.