Mumbai: Former SIMI member’s son held in ISIS module case of NIA

Shamil Nachan

In A significant turn of events linked to the Pune ISIS module case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended Shamil Nachan, the son of Saquib Nachan, a convicted individual involved in the 2002-2003 Mumbai Central, Vile Parle, and Mulund bomb blasts, that resulted in the tragic loss of numerous lives.

Saquib Nachan was released from prison in 2017 after serving his sentence, now his son has been arrested by the NIA as the sixth accused in the ISIS module case. The NIA claimed that Shamil's active role in advancing the objectives of a designated foreign extremist organisation forms the basis of this arrest.

Saquib Nachan, who previously served as secretary of the Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), was also extensively involved and highly active during his arrest period.

Last week, the NIA also took into custody Akif Nachan, another resident of Padgha village in Thane district, which has gained notoriety for its association with criminal activities. Saquib's past involvement and subsequent arrest of his son, highlights the complex web of connections that agencies like the NIA strive to unravel to maintain national security and prevent further acts of violence.

‘Shamil played a crucial role'

According to the NIA, Shamil, also a resident of Padgha, Thane, played a crucial role in the production, training, and testing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) intended for use in terrorist acts. "He was closely collaborating with five other individuals already apprehended, namely Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi, and Abdul Kadir Pathan, along with other unidentified suspects," the NIA said in a statement.

The NIA had previously declared two of the accused, Imran Khan and Mohammed Yunus Saki, as "most wanted" in connection with a case involving the recovery of explosives from a vehicle in Rajasthan in April 2022. "This latest arrest underscores the concerted efforts of the NIA to neutralize this sleeper cell operating in Pune," reads the statement.

Operatives from this ISIS module, including Shamil, had been operating out of a residence in Kondhwa, Pune. In this location, they not only assembled IEDs but also conducted bomb-making workshops. The group even carried out a controlled explosion to test one of the IEDs they fabricated.

‘Accused plotting terror acts'

Investigations by the NIA have revealed that the accused were plotting terrorist acts with the intention of disrupting peace and communal harmony within the country.

"Their sinister plan aimed to wage a war against the government of India in alignment with the agenda of the ISIS, a notorious extremist organization with various aliases, such as Islamic State (IS), Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), and others," the statement reads further.

The NIA has also taken over a case of Pune ATS which also arrested five accused planning terror activities and found various explosive materials, labs and workshops to carry out terror strikes. The accused arrested by ATS have carried out bomb testing in the forest areas of Maharashtra. The NIA has found that accused in both the cases have links with each other. The ATS has arrested five accused in their case and the NIA has arrested six accused including Shamil and Akif in their case.