NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted coordinated searches at 20 locations across 10 states and Delhi as part of its investigation into an alleged online terror radicalisation network.
According to the agency, the case relates to an alleged conspiracy to radicalise individuals online by promoting the ideology of the banned terrorist organisations ISIS (Islamic State) and AQIS (Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent).
The searches were carried out in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi.
The NIA said several digital devices were seized during the operation and will undergo forensic examination as part of the ongoing investigation.
The agency said the locations were identified through technical analysis of digital devices seized earlier, as well as connectivity analysis involving the arrested accused and other findings that emerged during the probe.
According to the NIA, 11 people and one juvenile have been arrested so far in the case, which it took over from the Vijayawada police in May.
The case was originally registered by the Vijayawada police in March following a search at the residence of the key accused, Rehmatullah Sharif Mohammad. The agency said material allegedly linked to the banned organisations ISIS and AQIS was recovered during that search.
The NIA said it is continuing its investigation to identify others allegedly involved in what it described as a conspiracy to destabilise the country and establish a "Caliphate". According to the agency, those arrested and their associates allegedly sought to indoctrinate vulnerable youth across the country through extremist content and misinformation. The agency further alleged that the accused were in online contact with handlers based abroad to propagate extremist ideology and further what it described as an anti-India conspiracy.