NIA Charge-sheets 17 Hardcore ISIS Operatives in Delhi-Padgha Terror Module Case
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charge-sheeted 17 hardcore agents of the proscribed global terrorist network in a conspiracy involving recruitment and radicalisation of youth and fabrication of improved explosive devices in the Delhi-Padgha ISIS terror module case.
This takes the total number of accused charge-sheeted in the case, which had exposed global linkages with foreign handlers, to 20. NIA had originally charge-sheeted three persons in March 2023 and filed its supplementary charge-sheet before the Special Court at Patiala House in New Delhi on Monday against 17 others, of whom 15 are from Maharashtra and one each belongs to Uttarakhand and Haryana.
The accused, charge-sheeted under various sections of IPC, UA(P) Act, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act, were found to have been engaged in a massive ISISI conspiracy involving recruitment, training and propagation of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) ideology among gullible youth, along with fabrication of explosives and IEDs and fund-raising for the banned outfit.
NIA, which has been cracking down on various ISIS modules active in the country with the intent to dismantle the nefarious terror network of the international organisation, had registered the case RC-29/2023/NIA/DLI in November 2023.
Its investigation had subsequently led to the seizure of several incriminating documents and data relating to manufacturing of explosives and fabrication of IEDs, along with propaganda magazines like ‘Voice of Hind’, ‘Rumiyah’, ‘Khilafat’, ‘Dabiq’, published by IS.
The agency had further found during investigations that the accused had been sharing digital files related to IED fabrication with their contacts. They were also found to be actively raising funds to further their terror plans as part of ISIS agenda to spread violence in India and destroy its secular ethos and democratic systems.
The accused had carried out several acts preparatory to unleashing of terrorist attacks, including recruitment of vulnerable youth into the organisation. They had taken ‘bayath’ (pledge of allegiance) from an arrested accused Saquib Nachan, a habitual offender in many previous terror cases and a self-styled Amir-e-Hind for ISIS in India.
NIA is actively pursuing further investigations in the case to trace further links of the accused persons.