Mumbai, Dec 10:The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested as many as 15 ISIS operatives from Maharashtra on Sunday.
The NIA after it conducted raids at 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka, including Frazer Town in Bengaluru, on Saturday in connection with the ISIS terror module case, a big haul of firearms were unearthed along with other incriminating materials.
The ISIS operatives hail from Thane district in the Maharashtra. The central agency raided the residence of Ali Abbas, who hails from Mumbai and has been residing with his family on Moore Road in Frazer Town for three years, around 5.30 am and seized a mobile phone, a laptop, and some incriminating documents from him.
The NIA sleuths have taken Abbas into custody for questioning. Abbas has been reportedly working as a real estate agent associated with a private firm after quitting his job during the pandemic. The central agency suspects the arrested individuals of being in contact with and residing with some militants from the banned ISIS organisation.
The raids were beefed up after the ISIS operatives arrested earlier revealed the names of those involved in aiding and promoting terror activities, including the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
According to a press release from NIA,primary investigations revealed that the kingpin identified as Saqib Nachan, wanted to make Padgha village in the rural Thane district as a “liberated zone” and administer “bayath” or the oath of allegiance to the khalifa of ISIS to those joining the terror organisation,
