CHENNAI/NAGAPATTINAM: Based on a tip that a new fundamentalist group had gained roots in Tamil Nadu, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday raided two places in Chennai and one in Nagapattinam.
The raids were conducted by a team of NIA officials from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, the operations were conducted at some offices on Linghi Chetty Street at Mannady and some houses at Kellys.
The raids ended at around 3 pm. Officials said one Syed Bukhari was taken to Kerala for further inquiry. In Nagai, officials started the raids on residences in Sikkil and Manjakollai at 7.30 am and concluded the operation in the afternoon.
The action comes in the wake of three men — Bukhari from Chennai, Hassan Ali Yunus Maricar and Yusuffudeen Harish Mohammed from Nagapattinam — being booked by NIA on Tuesday for conspiracy and raising funds for a terrorist organisation among other charges.
NIA sources claimed a new terror outfit called ‘Ansarulla’ was operational in TN. There was credible information that the accused persons, while being within and beyond India, had conspired and conducted consequent preparations to wage war against India by forming the terrorist gang, Ansarulla, NIA sources said.
“It is also learnt that the accused persons and their associates had collected to carry out terrorist attacks in India with the intention of establishing Islamic rule in India” the NIA sources claimed.
Bukhari was the state president of Wahdat-e-Islami Hind, an Islamic outfit registered in Uttar Pradesh in 2006 as a charitable social organisation. It opened offices in TN in 2009.
Officials said they raided the residences and offices of other members of the organisation and alleged the organisation was funding Ansarulla. They said they had been watching the organisation for a long time and suspected it might be linked to the banned Students Islamic Movement of India.
A release from NIA said that they seized nine mobile phones, 15 SIM cards, three laptops, five hard drives, six pen drives, two tablets and three CDs along with some magazines, posters, books and banners.
A member of the Wahdat-e-Islamic Hind, denying any knowledge of Ansarulla, said, “There is nothing hidden about our activities. We have been preaching against liquor consumption, prostitution and taking loans for interest... Some of our teachings are portrayed in bad light. We were not even told why we are being questioned.”
“These are all attempts at suppressing Islamic activities and isolating us from the rest of the community,” he added.