The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has unveiled startling revelations about the rapid proliferation of ISIS within Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district. According to official sources, a recent raid conducted by the NIA in the Harsul area on February 15 resulted in the apprehension of Mohammad Zoeb Khan, a key figure in the burgeoning ISIS network.
The NIA’s chargesheet details Khan’s connections with Shoeb, an ISIS operative based in Libya who allegedly received substantial financial backing from abroad to recruit local youth into the terrorist organisation.
Khan purportedly utilised these funds to radicalise and enlist young residents of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, with plans to orchestrate significant terrorist activities across India before absconding to Afghanistan or Turkey.
Following rigorous interrogation of Shoeb, the NIA has brought to light a wide-ranging conspiracy, prompting heightened concerns over the escalating terrorism threat in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and its environs. Authorities are actively engaged in ongoing efforts to dismantle the entire ISIS network operating in the region.
In February of this year, a series of raids were conducted by a security agency across nine locations in Maharashtra, which resulted in the arrest of one individual named Zoheb. The operation yielded the confiscation of numerous electronic devices and documents pertinent to the ongoing investigation. According to the agency, both Zoheb and another unnamed individual were implicated in a plot aimed at recruiting susceptible young people to carry out terror attacks at strategic locations throughout India.
The charges against them were formally presented before a special court, with both individuals identified as central figures in the conspiracy. They face charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The agency’s investigation has also uncovered international connections in the plot, involving foreign-based agents of ISIS/IS. The agency’s statement emphasised the previous exposure of anti-India activities linked to the accused.
Additionally, the agency has been actively working to dismantle ISIS networks in India and discovered that both men had taken a pledge of allegiance to the self-proclaimed ISIS leader. It was revealed that they had planned to escape to either Afghanistan or Turkey after orchestrating a series of terror attacks in India as part of their conspiracy. Furthermore, the agency found that the accused were involved in the development of a website promoting the extremist and violent ideology of ISIS.
The agency stated that the two had intended to use the website to recruit young people from around the world into the ISIS fold. Investigations also uncovered that Mohammed Zoheb Khan, recruited by Mohammed Shoeb Khan, had created a WhatsApp group and added more than 50 young individuals from the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (Aurangabad) area with the aim of radicalising and recruiting them for ISIS activities in India.
The accused had been sharing videos related to the production of explosives and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). They had also formulated a comprehensive plan of action that included the planning, preparation, and execution of terror attacks at various locations in India, as well as actions to be taken following the attacks.
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