TIRUNELVELI: The NIA on Monday picked up a 31-year-old man from Kadayanallur in Tirunelveli district for his alleged links to the terror outfit Islamic State (IS), a day after sleuths held six men, including one person who was living in Chennai for the past three months, from Kerala.
Subhani, who was working in a jewellery shop, was picked up from his father-in-law’s house at Kadayanallur at 4.30 am on Monday, sources said, adding that he was close to the six persons who were arrested on Sunday from Kerala.
“Subhani was arrested based on a tip-off from the six persons who were taken into custody by a NIA team in Kerala on Sunday. He came into contact with the six persons when he was in Thodupuzha in Kerala’s Idukki district in search of employment,” sources told Deccan Chronicle.
Since Subhani married Ayesha four months ago, he landed in a job at a jewellery shop in Kadayanallur, which is owned by one of his wife’s distant relatives. He and his allies are suspected to have been deployed to collect explosives for targeting places of public importance in various parts of the country.
“He might have shifted to Kadayanallur so that he may not identified easily,” said a local police officer, according to whom even his employer was aware of Subhani's terror link. After the arrest, Subhani was taken to Kozhikode by the NIA team for further interrogation.
The six arrested on Sunday were identified as Manseed alias Omar (30), a resident of Kannur; Abu Basheer alias Rashid (29) from Coimbatore; Swalih Mohammed alias Yousuf (26) from Thrissur; Safwan (30) from Malappuram; Jasim (25) and Ramshad Nageelan Kandiyil alias Aaamu (24), both from Kozhikode.
During the searches on Sunday, incriminating material including electronic devices have been seized from their possession.
Follow-up searches are being conducted by NIA in Chennai, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram in Kerala with support of Tamil Nadu and Kerala police.
