NIA arrests 2 in Pune for alleged links with IS-Khorasan

Pune: The National Investigation Agency on Sunday arrested two persons, including a woman who had been identified as a ‘fedayeen’ in 2018, here in Maharashtra in connection with a case pertaining to activities of the Islamic State Khorasan Province module, a senior police officer said.

“An NIA team arrested two persons from Kondhwa and Yerawada areas of Pune in connection with a case about activities of the Islamic State Khorasan Province, which is a terrorist organization,” he said, adding that the city police provided logistical support to the NIA team.

The accused are identified as Nabeel Siddique Khatri and Sadia Anwar Sheikh.

The officer said an alert had been issued against Sheikh in 2018 identifying her as a ‘fedayeen’ (a term used to refer to various militant groups willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger campaign) of the terrorist outfit.

However, she was later let off and handed over to her family members.

“In 2015, she was de-radicalized by the Pune unit of the ATS,” the officer said.

Another official said the NIA received information about the duo from two persons who were arrested at Jamia (Nagar) by Delhi Police recently.