Ahead of I-Day, NIA Targets Terror: Islamic State Module in Delhi Busted, Active Member Arrested

Ahead of Independence Day, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has busted an Islamic State (IS) module in Delhi.

On Saturday, the NIA arrested Mohsin Ahmad for his “active" involvement with the IS.

The agency conducted searches at his residence at Batla House in Delhi and found him to be involved in online and on-ground activities of the IS.

According to the NIA, Ahmad, originally from Patna, was involved in collection of funds for the IS from sympathisers in India as well as abroad.

He was sending these funds to Syria and other places in the form of cryptocurrency, the source said.

The NIA presented the accused in a Delhi court and sought seven days custody.

LAST WEEK’s RAIDS

The NIA raided 13 spots across seven states, including Maharashtra, and detained 48 people – 13 on August 1 and 35 on July 31 – with links to the IS, foiling their plan for “something big" against India.

According to the exclusive details from top intelligence sources, the detentions were a result of the interrogation of Zufri Johar Damodi, who was arrested from Bhatkal in Karnataka in August 2021 for his alleged link to the IS.

With leads from Damodi, the agency was keeping an eye on Voice of Hind, an India-centric IS magazine, for the past one year, the source told CNN-News18 exclusively.

The agency noticed that the magazine had very minute details of the on-ground situation in India, which could not have been possible without local resources, said the source. This led them to the 48 men linked to the IS, he said.

The 48 men, the agency source said, were creating content for the Voice of Hind and other ISKP-related groups.

‘COVER GANGSTERS TOO’

Irked with the merging nexus of terror outfits, the Central government wants the NIA to take action against gangsters and treat them at par with terrorists, a top intelligence source told CNN-News18 exclusively recently.

The government wants the NIA to look into all activities carried out by gangsters.

The agency has been asked to cover their terror activities, drug smuggling and weapons supply in India, said the source.

​The gangsters are in touch with Pakistan-based terror groups and Canada-based Khalistani groups, which the government feels is a serious threat to the country, said the source.

With PTI inputs

Read the Latest News and Breaking News here