CHENNAI: The NIA has interrogated 10 people for their alleged involvement in hatching a conspiracy to wage war against India with the help of the ISIS terror group, the agency said on Wednesday.
Pachaiyappan (resident of Kanchipuram), Rajesh (Chennai), Anbarasan (Salem rural) A Abdul Rahiman and Liyakath Ali (Salem city), Mohammed Haneef Khan and Imran Khan (Bengaluru), Mohammed Zaid (Kolar), Ejaz Pasha (Bengaluru) and Hussain Shariff were taken into NIA custody for six days until March 3.
The case was registered by Q Branch, Chennai of Tamil Nadu Police under sections of the IPC, the UA(P)A and the Arms Act against Pachaiyappan, Rajesh and their associates for fraudulently obtaining mobile SIM cards on forged identities.
They were hatching a conspiracy with ISIS member Khaja Mohideen, a resident of Cuddalore, and his associates to carry out unlawful activities for furthering the objectives of the ISIS in India, an NIA spokesperson said.
Investigation revealed that Pachaiyappan, Rajesh, Anbarasan and Rahiman had fraudulently activated the SIM cards bought by Liyakath from Chennai and Salem, and provided these to Moideen for unlawful activities as part of the conspiracy hatched in Tamil Nadu last year, the official said.
Haneef, Imran, Zaid, Pasha and Shariff had assisted Moideen for procuring weapons and material for establishing a base in the forests of South India for waging a violent jihad in India, the NIA official said.
Investigation also revealed that Haneef and Imran had taken Moideen along with his associates Abdul Samad of Cuddalore and Syed Ali Navas of Toothukudi districts outside India from Bengaluru on December 12 last year, the NIA official said.
Later, Moideen and his associates returned to India with the intention of waging jihad and were arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on January 8, the official said.
Jaid assisted Moideen to communicate with his online handler over encrypted email and messenger platforms in the dark web to hatch the conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in India by recruiting more members into the terrorist gang and imparting arms training outside India, the NIA said.
Pasha had helped Moideen and co-conspirator Mehboob Pasha of Bengaluru procure pistols and ammunition illegally which have been recovered, it said.
Shariff had stored in his house at Bengaluru some of the material procured by Moideen and associates for living in forests to wage a violent Islamic jihad, the official said.
During the custody of the 10 accused, evidence of their participation in the conspiracy and pursuant overt acts has been collected which would be submitted to the special NIA court in Chennai.