India's anti-terror agency arrests 8 ISIS operatives, seizes explosive raw materials, weapons

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday (Dec 18) carried out raids at 19 locations across four Indian states in connection with the ISIS network and busted a "highly radicalised jihadi terror group."

The anti-terror agency arrested eight operatives of the banned terror outfit's Ballari module, including its leader Minaz foiling plans by the accused to carry out terror attacks, and IED blasts.

The searches also led to the seizure of explosive raw materials, such as sulphur, potassium nitrate, charcoal, gunpowder, sugar and ethanol, sharp-edged weapons, unaccounted cash, documents exposing terror plans, along with smartphones and other digital devices.

The 19 locations, where the raids were conducted, included Ballari and Bengaluru in Karnataka, Amaravati, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, Jamshedpur and Bokaro in Jharkhand and Delhi.

As per the initial probes by NIA, the accused had planned on using explosive raw materials for the fabrication of IEDs which were to be deployed for carrying out attacks.

Investigations further revealed that the accused were constantly in touch with one another via encrypted applications and were planning attacks and recruiting youths, NIA said in a statement.

News agency ANI reported that the terror group was engaged in anti-India activities.

Radicalisation of prisoners

This comes a day after NIA raided multiple locations across Bengaluru, Karnataka, in a case relatedto the radicalisation of prisoners by a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist.

Six locations, including the houses of four accused, one of whom is still absconding, were extensively searched in the case last week, on Dec 13, as part of the anti-terror agency's continuing investigations into the case.

The other locations that were searched were premises connected with two other suspects.

In that raid, the NIA teams seized a host of digital devices, various incriminating documents, and cash amounting to Rs 7.3 lakh. The raids were conducted at the premises of Mohammed Umar, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, Tanveer Ahmed and Mohammed Farooq, as well as absconder Junaid Ahmed. Three accused are currently absconding in the case, registered under various sections of IPC, the UA(P) Act, 1967 and the Explosive Substances Act, 1884.

(With inputs from agencies)