India probe agency charge sheets three people in ISIS terror module case

National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India on Thursday (Mar 21) filed a chargesheet against three persons engaged in a conspiracy, involving recruitment, fabrication of explosives and Improvised explosive devices (IED), and fund-raising for a global terror organisationthrough its Borivali-Padgha module.

In a statement, the NIA said that the accused were actively involved in promoting the anti-India agenda of the proscribed terror outfit.

The accused were identified as Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Arshad Warsi of Dehradun in Uttarakhand and Mohammed Shahnawaz Alam of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.

"During its investigations into the Borivali-Padgha (Maharashtra) ISIS terror module case, the agency had seized incriminating material related to manufacturing of explosives and fabrication of IEDs, along with propaganda magazines like 'Voice of Hind', 'Rumiyah', 'Khilafat', 'Dabiq' published by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)," the NIA said in the statement.

The probe revealed that the trio had been sharing digital files related to the fabrication of IEDs with their contacts andwere also found to be actively raising funds for their terror plans. They aimed at extendingISIS activities andpromotingits extremist and violent ideology.

The investigatingagency said that the accused had carried outpreparatoryacts to unleashterrorist attacks, including recruitment of vulnerable youth into the organisation.

Accused Mohammed Ashraf had taken 'bayath' (pledge of allegiance) from another arrested accused Saquib Nachan alias Amir-e-Hind, the federal agency said.

The government agency said that a case was registeredon November 6 last year against Shahnawaz Alam and others in connection with a conspiracy to carry out terrorist activities at the direction of their ISIS handlers.

The NIA has been investigating various ISIS modules active in the country with the intent to dismantle the nefarious terror networks.

(With inputs from agencies)