India: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids in six states including Bhatkal and Deoband as part of its crackdown on suspected ISIS (Islamic State) modules across the country. According to officials, the incriminating documents have been confiscated.
The probe into the activities of the banned group was carried out after the agency took suo motu cognizance of the matter in June. According to the NIA, searches were conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
"In accordance with Sections 153A and 153B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 18, 18B, 38, 39, and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the NIA registered the case on its own initiative on June 25. ( UAPA) additional research is being done,” NIA officials said.
Extensive operations were carried out at 13 locations across the states with searches in Bhopal and Raisen in Madhya Pradesh, Araria district of Bihar state and Kolhapur and Nanded cities of Maharashtra.
Additionally, the agency conducted raids in terrorist hotspots like Bhatkal in Karnataka and Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. The biggest action appears to have targeted modules scattered across Gujarat, where the NIA searched four locations: Bharuch, Surat, Navsari and Ahmedabad.
Officials have not yet disclosed how many arrests were made or the kind of evidence confiscated during the raids.
The last ISIS case was brought in March 2021 against a module in Kerala that was using social media to recruit and radicalize youth for targeted killings. Under the direction of Abu Yahya, the members of this module (at least seven were arrested) planned to go on a mission to carry out terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, the NIA had busted an ISIS module in Bengaluru in September 2020, and detained four people on charges of inciting youth to travel to Syria and join jihad. Additionally, this module raised funds for the trip.
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