27.12.18

NIA Cracks Down on ISIS-inspired Module

In a crackdown on an ISIS-inspired module, called Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam, the National Investigation Agency arrested ten persons and claimed to have foiled attempts to carry out a series of blasts in and around the national capital.

NIA Inspector General of Police Alok Mittal told media persons that Mufti Mohammad Suhail, who was working as a ‘mufti’ in a madrasa on Hakim Mahtab Uddin Hashmi Road of Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, was the mastermind of the module. Of the ten rounded up, Saqib Iftekar had helped Suhail procure weapons, said Mittal. Iftekar, a resident of Simbhaoli in Hapur district of UP, was ‘imam’ at the Jama Masjid in Baksar, UP.

Suhail and his associates had mobilised funds and procured weapons, ammunition and explosive material to prepare improvised explosive devices and bombs, according to the agency.

Their plan was to carry out explosions and fidayeen attacks at places of importance and ones that are crowded in and around Delhi, the NIA alleged.

The agency said that the module was at an advanced stage of bomb making as sleuths during raids at 17 places – six at Jaffrabad in Seelampur of East Delhi and rest in Lucknow, Amroha, Hapur and Meerut districts of UP – seized 25 kg of explosives, a country-made rocket launcher, 12 pistols and 112 clocks to work as timers.

Other than that, 150 rounds of live ammunition, mobile phone circuits, batteries, 51 pipes, remote control car triggering switch, wireless digital doorbell for remote switch, steel containers, electric wires, 91 mobile phones, 134 SIM cards, three laptops, knife, sword, ISIS-related literature and cash of about ₹7.5 lakh were recovered.

Two members of the module, Anas Yunus and Zubair Malik, are college students while two more and their brothers were arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting terrorism, according to the NIA.

The agency said that two brothers, Saeed Ahmad and Raees Ahmad, had procured about 25 kg of explosive material/gunpowder for preparing IEDs and pipe bombs and were instrumental in fabricating a rocket launcher to carry out terrorist attacks. The second pair of brothers – Zaid Malik and Zubair Malik – were allegedly part of the terror conspiracy and instrumental in procuring batteries, connectors and SIM cards on fake documents, it said.

The NIA had carried out searches after registering a case against Suhail and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

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