NIA arrests 15 IS operatives in raids at 44 places in Maharashtra, Karnataka

New Delhi, December 9

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The NIA on Saturday arrested 15 operatives of the banned terror outfit ISIS during multiple and widespread raids across Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Declared village in Thane ‘liberated’

• Accused allegedly self-declared Padgha village in Thane ‘liberated zone’ and ‘Al Sham’
• Were allegedly motivating impressionable Muslim youth to relocate in Padgha to strengthen the base
• Module head Saqib Nachan was allegedly administering ‘bayath’ (oath of allegiance to Khalifa of IS) to recruits

The agency raided 44 locations in Padgha-Borivali, Thane, Mira Road and Pune in Maharashtra and Bengaluru in Karnataka early this morning, and arrested the 15 accused for allegedly promoting terror and terror-related acts and activities of the proscribed organisation, official sources said. Huge amounts of unaccounted cash, firearms, sharp weapons, incriminating documents, smartphones and other digital devices were seized during the raids, conducted as part of the NIA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt and demolish attempts by the ISIS to carry out violent acts of terror. The accused, operating on the directions of their foreign handlers, had been actively involved in various terrorist activities, including fabrication of IEDs, for furthering the violent and destructive agenda of the ISIS, they said. The NIA investigations have further revealed that the accused, all members of ISIS’ Maharashtra module, were operating from Padgha-Borivali, where they had hatched the conspiracy to spread terror and carry out acts of violence across India.