In the Shivamogga Islamic State (IS) conspiracy case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against two radicalised B.Tech graduates. The case relates to the conspiracy devised to further the activities of the group by committing acts of arson, sabotage, and violence in Karnataka.
On March 16, the anti-terror agency filed the charge sheet against Maaz Muneer Ahmed, 23, and Syed Yasin, 22, of Shivamogga under sections 120B, 121A and 122 of IPC, 1860, sections 18, 18B, 20 & 38 of UA (P) Act, 1967 and sections 4 (i) & 5 of ES Act, 1908 and section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. Both B.Tech graduates had been radicalised and motivated by an online foreign-based handler to target public and private properties, including warehouses, liquor outlets, hardware shops, vehicles and properties belonging to citizens belonging to a particular community, said the NIA.
“In furtherance of a conspiracy hatched by the Islamic State, Maaz and Yasin had committed over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage.”
The NIA claimed that their actions demonstrate how committed they are.
According to the anti-terror agency, Maaz and Syed Yasin went to the Agumbe and Varahi river backwaters forest area of Shivamogga district for trekking and recce for hideouts, adding “they procured explosives and prepared to fabricate an IED.”
To establish his anti-India credentials, Syed Yasin set one of his improvised explosive devices (IEDs) off in a practise explosion at the Varahi river bank in Shivamogga, burned an Indian national flag, and filmed a video, according to the agency.
“The terror operatives were being paid in cryptocurrencies by their online handler by fund transfers from abroad.”
Investigations have revealed that Maaz received a Crypto equivalent of around Rs 1.5 lakhs from the online handler into the accounts of his friends. In contrast, Syed Yasin received Rs 62,000 from a friend’s account.
Mohamed Shariq was suspected of planning an IED explosion at Kadri Temple in Mangaluru on November 19 of last year as part of a bigger IS conspiracy, according to the NIA.
However, the agency said, the IED had exploded prematurely due to a timer malfunction when Shariq was enroute to the target location averting a potential disaster.
Further investigations against six other arrested accused persons are in progress, said the NIA.
NIA re-registered the case in September last year and took over the investigations of the case registered by Karnataka Police after the stabbing of one Prem Singh at Shivamogga (Karnataka) on August 15 last year by accused Zabiulla and others.
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