Pune ISIScase: NIA files fresh chargesheet against four more persons

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a fresh chargesheet naming four more accused and adding charges against one accused in the Pune ISIS case, the agency said on Thursday, reported the ANI.

According to the ANI, a total of 11 accused have been chargesheeted by the NIA in the July 2023 case relating to the seizure of arms, explosives, chemicals and ISIS-related literature.

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The supplementary chargesheet was filed before a special court on Wednesday, as per the ANI.

The four accused charge-sheeted have been identified as Md Shahnawaz Alam, Rizwan Ali, Abdullah Shaikh, and Talha Liyakat Khan. Additional charges have been filed against Shamil Nachan, who was among the seven accused charge-sheeted earlier by the anti-terror agency, the news agency reported.

Shahnawaz Alam, who had escaped from detention after being apprehended during a bike theft in the Kothrud area of Pune in Maharashtra, was arrested by the NIA on November 2 last year for his association with the arrested and absconding accused in the ISIS case. He was taken into custody and his DNA matching was carried out with the DNA samples taken from the clothes seized earlier by the agency, according to the ANI.

As per the NIA, all the accused were members of the proscribed terrorist organisation, ISIS, and were involved in the plans to unleash terror in and around Pune in Maharashtra, as part of a larger conspiracy to promote the terror activities of the outfit, NIA investigations had revealed, as per the ANI.

"It was also found that the accused persons were in touch with their foreign-based handler via secret communication apps. They were also raising terror funds by carrying out armed robberies, and thefts and were also receiving money from their handlers for carrying out their nefarious designs," the NIA said in a statement, the news agency reported on Thursday.

"Investigations also showed that these men had undergone IED fabrication training at Kondhwa in Pune and had even conducted a controlled blast. They had recced the areas of Western Ghats for potential hideouts, besides checking out important places for carrying out terror attacks in various metro cities across Maharashtra and Gujarat. The accused had even engaged in firing practice while preparing themselves for terrorist strikes," the agency said based on its findings.

During investigations, the NIA said, it had recovered handwritten notes taken by the accused at the time of their IED fabrication training.

A drone, clothes and a knife used during the 'bayath' (pledge), taken in the name of the Khalifa of ISIS, were also recovered.

Besides Shamil Nachan, the others named in the original chargesheet were Md Imran, Md Yunus Saki, Kadir Dastgir Pathan, Seemab Quazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala and Akeef Nachan.

(with ANI inputs)