New Delhi, June 18: In furtherance of its investigation, the National Investigation Agency had earlier this week filed a chargesheet against an Islamic State operative for trying to set up a province of the ISIS in the forests of South India.
During the course of the investigations, the NIA learnt that these operatives were in the process of setting up an ISIS Daishwilayah or province inside the jungles of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. When it was unraveled in 2020, the NIA said that this was the first of its kind plot.
The case arose following the arrest of a few persons who had conspired at Salem and Chennai who had fraudulently activated SIM cards by using multiple identity documents of various persons without their knowledge and consent.
The NIA in its chargesheet said that there were 20 members part of this module, which was headed by Mehboob Pasha, a Bengaluru based operative and Khaja Moideen from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.
They had planned on visiting Shivanasamudra in Karnataka and identify a place in the jungle where training could be imparted. Before they were busted by the NIA, they had already procured tents, bows, arrows, boots, arms, ammunition, sleeping bags, ropes and ladders. They had also procured a large quantity of firecrackers to extract explosive content and make IEDs, the NIA chargesheet read.
Further the NIA also learnt that they had scouted for similar hideouts in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, Kolar, Kodagu (Karnataka), Burdwan, Siliguri (West Bengal) and Chittor in Andhra Pradesh. They wanted to set up ISIS provinces in these jungles and then launch systematic attacks with the primary intention of killing Hindu leaders, government officials, police officers and political leaders, the NIA said.
In its supplementary chargesheet the NIA named Syed Ali, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram. The NIA said that Ali along with the rest of were also making and testing IEDs and used the dark web for communications with their foreign based handler as part of the preparations to wage Jihad. They were also trying to establish a province of the ISIS in the forests of South India, the NIA said.
The NIA said that Syed Ali alias Vinjani (Scientist) is highly tech-savvy. He had assisted Moideen in using the dark web, encrypted communication to communicate with a foreign based handler and had also participated in conspiracy meetings and arranged safe hide-outs. In order to further this conspiracy, he had also procured explosive materials and gadgets to experiment with IEDs.
