NIA’s most wanted terrorist Shahnawaz, two associates arrested; all three engineers

New Delhi, October 2

The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Monday said that the suspected ISIS terrorist Shahnawaz, who has been arrested along with his two associates, converted his wife Basanti Patel to Islam adding that the NIA’s most wanted was a mining engineer from the prestigious Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology.

Addressing a press briefing, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HS Dhaliwal, said, “Last month NIA declared award on three persons who have alleged involvement in blasts cases. Of them, Mohammad Shahnawaz, the main accused, has been arrested with his two associates– Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf and Mohammad Arshad Warsi.”

As per police, Shahnawaz was arrested from Jaitpur in South Delhi, while Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf and Mohammad Arshad Warsi were arrested in Lucknow and Moradabad, in Uttar Pradesh, respectively. All three have done engineering.

Dhaliwal said that bomb-making literature, sent from Pakistan-based handlers, and other incriminating materials were recovered from Shahnawaz’s hideouts.

“Several explosives-making materials including, elementary, plastic tubes, and iron pipes, were recovered. (Apart from it) Pistol, cartridges, and bomb-making literature sent from Pak-based handlers, were (also) recovered,” the Special CP said.

Police said initial interrogation revealed that these people, conducted elaborate recce in Western Ghats, southern India, including Hubbali, Dharwad, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat to establish their hideouts.

While responding to media queries, Dhaliwal said, “Shahnawaz is a mining engineer from Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology. His wife, Basanti Patel, is converted to Islam and is now known as Mariam.”

According to police, the three wanted suspected terrorists were produced before the court and have been sent to seven days of police custody.

Last month, the NIA released pictures of four terror suspects, including that of Shahnawaz, wanted in the Pune ISIS module case and declared reward money of Rs 3 lakh each for credible information on them leading to their arrest.

Shahnawaz was briefly caught by Pune Police on the intervening night of July 17-18 when he was trying to steal a motorcycle in the Kothrud area of Pune.

During investigation, it had come to light that a foreign-based handler had possibly put Shahnawaz in touch with two other terror operatives with instructions to execute a terror strike.