The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has conducted raids in eight locations in Tamil Nadu and neigbouring Puducherry union territory over suspected ISIS links. Officials searched Chennai, Mayiladuthurai, Karaikal and five other locations.
The Central agency has taken over the probe of a case in which Needur Sadiq Basha alias ICAMA Sadiq Basha, running an outfit called Khilafah Party of India, and his associates threatened police officers with a gun in Mayiladuthurai in February this year during a vehicle check. NIA suspects the accused has links with the global terror outfit ISIS.
Though immediately after the incident in which Sadiq Basha threatened sub-inspector Arivazhagan and his team with an air pistol, the police team overpowered him and his associates Mohamed Ashiq from Coimbatore, Mohamed Ifran from Karaikal, Rahmath of Chennai and Jabahar Ali of Mayiladuthrai. Needur is a Muslim predominance area.
Sources said, “the case relates to campaigning for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and fundraising. The main accused is already in jail and the searches are a continuation of the investigation”.
NIA launched the investigation against members of Tamil Nadu-based organisation Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP), which merged with Popular Front of India (PFI) in 2006, for allegedly trying to float anti-national organisations and having links with ISIS. NIA officials are also looking at possible roles of the arrested persons in recruitments for the terror outfit. The searches come after the interrogation of the arrested persons. The five accused belonged to locations in Chennai, Mayiladuthurai and Karaikal.
The main accused in the case is already in jail, and the raids were carried out to find a possible link between the accused and ISIS. NIA has yet to share the search details with the media until 8 pm.
