New Delhi, May 17: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two absconding members of a sleeper cell linked to the banned terrorist organisation ISIS in connection with a 2023 case involving the fabrication and testing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Pune, Maharashtra.
According to an official statement released on Saturday, the two suspects—Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh, also known as Diaperwala, and Talha Khan—were intercepted by immigration officials at Mumbai’s International Airport (T2) upon their arrival from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had been hiding. The NIA subsequently took them into custody.
Both men had been on the run for over two years and were declared proclaimed offenders by the NIA Special Court in Mumbai. Non-bailable warrants had been issued against them, and cash rewards of ₹3 lakh each were announced for information leading to their arrest. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 27, 2025.
Shaikh and Khan were part of a wider ISIS sleeper module in Pune comprising 10 members. They were involved in a criminal conspiracy aimed at carrying out terrorist acts to incite communal unrest and wage war against the Indian government, in line with ISIS's goal of establishing Islamic rule through violence.
The duo had already been chargesheeted along with the eight others who are currently in judicial custody. They had rented a house in Pune’s Kondhwa area, where they allegedly assembled IEDs and conducted a bomb-making and training workshop between 2022 and 2023. They also carried out a controlled IED explosion as part of their testing efforts.
The NIA has charged all ten accused under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P)A), the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other accused in the case include Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Abdul Kadir Pathan, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Shamil Nachan, Akif Nachan, and Shahnawaz Alam.
The agency continues its investigations into ISIS-linked terror activities in India as part of its broader efforts to thwart extremist threats.
