ISIS conspiracy case: NIA arrests one during raids at 9 places in Maharashtra

The National Investigation Agency NIA on Thursday arrested one suspect following raids at at 9 places in Maharashtra the ANI reportedAccording to the ANI the NIA conducted raids at multiple locations in the ISIS Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar module case involving a conspiracy to target vital installationsThe arrested suspect has been identified as Mohammed Zoheb Khan He was arrested after the NIA conducted raids at the houses of various suspects at nine locations in Maharashtras Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar formerly Aurangabad as per the ANIThe raids led to the seizure of several electronic gadgets and incriminating documents related to the case said the NIAThe case against Khan was registered by the NIA Mumbai based on inputs that he and his associates had taken Bayath pledged allegiance to the ISIS Khalifa and had planned to various establishmentsThey were also involved in radicalising and recruiting gullible youth both physically and over social media to join ISIS and promote its violent ideology said the NIA the news agency reported on ThursdayAs per NIA investigations the accused and other suspects were in constant touch with their foreignbased handlers for furthering the activities of the global terror network both in India and abroadThey were sharing incriminating videos of Bayath along with materials related to violent jihad and Hijrah to Syria said the antiterror agency adding it is continuing with its investigations in the caseMeanwhile last month the NIA which cracked down on the ISIS module in Maharashtra last year revealed details about the accusedrsquos communication methods and their role in promoting the terror organisationrsquos ideology in India The charge sheet includes the names of highly educated individuals who zealously propagated terror through speeches on various platformsIn two separate NIA cases itrsquos been noted that the accused utilised different platforms with numerous calls between the arrested and the absconding ISIS Maharashtra module members The charge sheet also highlights instances where the accused communicated with ISIS handlers through emails pledging allegiance to the ISIS caliphateThe NIA has filed charge sheets against 13 accused in both cases The first was initially investigated by the NIA while the other came to light after the Pune police arrested two bike thieves revealing their involvement as alleged absconding members of Ratlams AlSufa terror group which is linked with ISIS The Pune case initially handled by the ATS was later transferred to the NIA due to the broader international scope of the investigationwith ANI inputs