NIA detains three suspects for links with handlers of Islamic State terrorist group

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has detained three people in Karnataka for their alleged links with Islamic State (IS) handlers, an official in the know of matter said on Monday. The detentions in Karnataka were part of a nationwide raid conducted by the anti-terror agency on Sunday.

In Karnataka, the raids were conducted in Bhatkal area of Uttara Kannada district and two places in Tumakuru district. Officials of the state police said that NIA had sought local police support in two cases.

The first raid in the state was reported in Tumkuru where a college student was taken in for questioning by the NIA. The suspect was identified as Sajid Makrani, a native of Maharashtra. He is a third-year student in an Unani college in Tumkuru, said police.

“Around 20 officials raided his house at 4 am. The raid lasted for about six hours, following which he was taken to Bengaluru. He was questioned till 9 pm and later released after issuing a notice to appear before NIA for questioning in New Delhi,” said an official in the know of the developments.

It is alleged that the student was in touch with the IS handlers. The nature of his alleged involvement with IS remains unknown.

Police have also taken in the owner of the house — identified as Rangaswamy — where Sajid and four others were living on rent.

The second raid took place in Bhatakal, where the central agency detained two brothers and served them notice to appear for inquiry in Delhi. Abdul Muktadir and his brother Mohammad, residents of Bhatkal main road were taken into custody at 5 am on Sunday.

The duo was taken to Manki in Uttara Kannada for interrogation. “They run a printing shop. They were questioned for getting in touch with IS handlers. They have also translated some Islamic state literature from Arabic to local languages, including Kannada and had posted the same on social media,” an official said.

The raids come after sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested one Adil alias Zuba from Tamil Nadu’s Salem last week. This arrest was based on details provided by the first suspect, Akthar Hussain, 23,a native of Assam, who was on a central intelligence agency’s watch and was taken in custody on July 24 by the CCB from Bengaluru’s Tilak Nagar area.

An officer, who didn’t want to be named, said the suspects were in touch with Al-Qaeda members using an instant messaging application. “The accused had tried to establish contacts in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. They were also attempting to approach the Muslim youth on social media and motivate them to carry out activities on their behalf,” said the official.

“We have found evidence that they were in touch with Al-Qaeda and wanted to be suicide bombers. We are now trying to verify the claim and the central agencies will be roped in for the same,” said the officer.

According to Bengaluru police commissioner, Pratap Reddy interrogation of the suspects is underway. “Following the inputs from central agencies, the arrest was made. We have collected evidence regarding members of the radicalised groups in Bengaluru. An FIR has been registered in connection with the case. We can’t reveal any more details as of now. We will provide the details after we present the facts before the courts,” said Reddy.

CCB officials meanwhile said that Akthar has been booked under Section 121 of the Indian Penal Code on charges of waging war against the country and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. “We are working closely with the central agency to probe if there are more links to this network,” he said.

The prime suspect Akhtar was allegedly radicalised after watching videos and browsing radical content. After his arrest, the CCB produced him before a special court, which remanded him to 10 days of police custody.

A CCB official said that Akthar came to Bengaluru seven months ago and started working as a delivery partner at an online food delivery app. During this time, he was in constant touch with several organisations through social media sites and instant messaging apps. He had allegedly planned to join an outfit in Jammu and Kashmir soon, the official added.

Source: Hindustan Times