NIA Chargesheets 17 ISIS Operatives In Delhi-Padgha Terror Module Case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against 17 hardcore operatives of a banned global terrorist network in connection with a conspiracy involving the recruitment and radicalization of youth and the creation of improvised explosive devices in the Delhi-Padgha ISIS terror module case. This brings the total number of accused in the case, which revealed global links with foreign handlers, to 20.

Initially, the NIA had charged three individuals in March last year. The supplementary chargesheet was filed before the special court at Patiala House on Monday against 17 others, 15 of whom are from Maharashtra, with one each from Uttarakhand and Haryana.

The accused, charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act, were involved in a significant ISIS conspiracy. This included recruiting, training, and spreading the ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) among susceptible youth, fabricating explosives and IEDs, and raising funds for the banned outfit.

The NIA, which has been targeting various ISIS modules in the country to dismantle the terror network, registered the case RC-29/2023/NIA/DLI in November 2023. The investigation led to the seizure of several incriminating documents and data related to the manufacturing of explosives and IEDs, along with propaganda magazines like ‘Voice of Hind’, ‘Rumiyah’, ‘Khilafat’, and ‘Dabiq’, published by ISIS.

The agency discovered 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,” said the agency.

The accused had carried out several preparatory acts for terrorist attacks, including the recruitment of vulnerable youth into the organization. They had taken ‘bayath’ (pledge of allegiance) from an arrested accused, Saquib Nachan, a habitual offender in previous terror cases and a self-styled Amir-e-Hind for ISIS in India.