NIA arrests 4 people in Kerala ISIS module case

Representative Image
Representative Image

New Delhi [India], August 4 (ANI): Tightening its noose around the Islamic State (IS) operatives in India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested four people during multiple raids in the Kerala ISIS module case.

"Two people were held from Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora and Srinagar while two others were taken into custody each from Karnataka's Mangalore and Bengaluru," an NIA spokesperson told ANI.

These accused persons were arrested following multiple raids conducted in Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka since early morning on Wednesday.

In March also, the investigation agency had arrested three persons during searches at 11 locations in Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi, including the premises of Mohammed Ameen aka Abu Yahya, whose group had identified several people in Kerala and Karnataka for "targeted killing".

The case pertains to the terrorist activities of a group led by one Mohammed Ameen of Kerala. Three people -- Ameen and his associates Mushab Anuvar and Rahees Rashid -- were arrested after preliminary examination.

Officials in the agency said that the group had been running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram for propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of ISIS, and radicalising and recruiting new members to the module.

The NIA had registered a case against seven known and other unnamed persons under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on March 5, 2021.

"The group of radicalised individuals, under the leadership of Ameen and having pledged allegiance to the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS, had identified certain people in Kerala and Karnataka for targeted killing," NIA officials said.

The officials informed that they had also planned to undertake Hijrat (religious migration) to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts.

"Ameen had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir immediately after his return to India from Bahrain in March, 2020 and had been camping in Delhi for the last two months for establishing a connection with Jammu and Kashmir-based operatives having allegiance to ISIS," they added. (ANI)