Islamic State suspects case transferred to NIA: Delhi Police tells court
NIA was already probing another case in which several suspected operatives of ISIS have been arrested.
New Delhi: A Delhi court was on Thursday informed that a case relating to six suspected terror operatives, alleged to have links with dreaded outfit ISIS, has been transferred from Delhi Police's Special Cell to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The police told Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh that the matter has been transferred to NIA for further investigation, as it was already probing another case in which several suspected operatives of ISIS have been arrested.
Five of the six arrested accused, Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed, Akhlaq ur-Rehman, Mohd Osama, Mohd Azim Shah and Mehroz were produced before the court after expiry of their judicial custody. After the court was told that the case has been transferred to the NIA, the judge said these accused be produced before the concerned court. Thereafter, the accused were produced before the special NIA court which extended their judicial custody till April 12.
Another accused, Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, was not produced before the court today from judicial custody and the judge has issued a production warrant for the next date of hearing.
The police's Special Cell had earlier arrested four persons with suspected ISIS links from Manglour in Uttarakhand and claimed to have unearthed a terror plot to target the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Haridwar, especially the trains headed there, along with some strategic locations in the national capital.
According to the police, Sayyed, who is believed to be self-radicalised, was acting as a financier and had given Rs 50,000 to Akhlaq, Osama, Shah and Mehroz. The accused were found to have links with a former Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist who later went to fight for ISIS, the police had claimed.
"The arrested persons were allegedly in contact with a former IM operative, who later went for training in Syria and is presently believed to be a key member of Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind (AuT) which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)," the police had said.