In a major step towards demolishing the ISIS anti-India module network, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on June 13 chargesheeted seven accused involved in the Bellary IS module case.
The seven accused, arrested earlier by NIA, have been charged with the recruitment and radicalisation of vulnerable youth as mujahideens to operate as terrorist sleeper cells. They were part of a bigger Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) conspiracy to prepare 50 such sleeper cells in each district of India by 2025. The accused were also involved in the fabrication of explosives for furtherance of the ISIS goal to establish the Caliphate System in India by waging jihad against the Government of India.
The men, who were actively engaged in propagating the ISIS ideology, have been chargesheeted under various sections of IPC, UA(P) Act, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act.
As per the NIA investigations in the case, RC-03/2023/NIA/BLR, registered in December 2023, the Bellary module was inspired by the separatist and violent ideology of the proscribed terrorist organisation, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The sleeper cells were being prepared to carry out guerrilla attacks on the Indian soldiers, police and leaders of specific religious organisations.
The improvised explosive devices prepared by the accused were meant to unleash terrorist violence in various parts of the country, NIA investigations have further revealed. The accused had already carried out a trial blast in Bellary, Karnataka, and had also been sharing jihad-related digital documents/data with other vulnerable youth.
NIA had, during the investigation, seized explosive materials, sharp-edged weapons, digital devices containing propaganda magazines related to jihad, khilafat, fidayeen attacks published by various terrorist organisations, including ISIS, and several incriminating documents/data exposing the ISIS roadmap for establishing Islamic rule in India.
The NIA chargesheet further alleged that six of the accused had taken ‘bayyath’ (pledge of allegiance) from their co-accused Mohammed Sulaiman alias Minaj, who had proclaimed himself as Amir of the group allegedly created by him.
Besides Minaj, the others chargesheeted have been identified as Mohammed Muniruddin, Syed Sameer, and Mohammed Muzammil, all residents of Karnataka; Anas Iqbal Shaikh, a resident of Maharashtra; Mohammed Shahbaz alias Zulfikar of Jharkhand, and Shayan Rehman alias Hussain of Delhi.
“Further investigation is in progress to unravel the complete conspiracy and identify others involved in the same,” the NIA added.
