Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 12 MARCH: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has conducted raids in Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) and Pune (Maharashtra) in connection with the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) case. The accused were allegedly paid through crypto-currencies by their foreign-based handlers to create unrest in India. The ISKP is an affiliate of the Islamic State group.
The raids were carried out at four locations in Seoni and one location in Pune. Searches were conducted at the houses of Talha Khan in Pune and Akram Khan in Seoni. The case was initially registered by the Special Cell of Delhi Police after the arrest of a Kashmiri couple affiliated with ISKP. During the investigation, the role of another accused, Abdullah Basith, emerged.
The NIA carried out searches at three other locations in Seoni in the Shivmogga IS conspiracy case. The accused persons, after getting instructions from their abroad-based handler, targeted public and private properties, such as warehouses, liquor shops, hardware shops, vehicles, and other properties belonging to members of a particular community and committed over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage.
As part of the larger conspiracy, the accused Mohamed Shariq planned to carry out an IED blast at Kadri temple in Mangalore on November 19, 2022. However, the IED had exploded “prematurely”.
Abdul Salafi is a Maulana at the Seoni Jamia Masjid, while Shoeb sells automobile spare parts. The group led by Maulana Aziz Salafi was in the process of radicalising gullible Muslim youth of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and many southern states through provocative and inflammatory speeches on YouTube. They were also trying to bring together such radicalized individuals in Seoni district.
The suspects are allegedly “radically motivated individuals who totally abhor the idea of democracy in India and were preparing to carry out Jihad against the people who believe otherwise,” said an official. They were using social media platforms for dissemination of false propaganda.
The NIA’s investigation has brought to light the use of crypto-currencies by foreign-based handlers to fund terrorist activities in India, raising concerns over the need for greater regulation of the digital asset industry.
Tags: #NIA #CryptoCurrency #ISKP #IslamicStateKhorasanProvince
