NIA files charge sheet against suspected ISIS terrorist in Al-Hind Bengaluru module

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a supplementary charge sheet in a special court here against a suspected ISIS terrorist for his alleged involvement in collecting and supplying arms and ammunition in Mumbai as part of a larger conspiracy of the terror group, an official said.

Shihabudeen has been charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The case was registered in January last year in Bengaluru against Mehboob Pasha, a resident of Bengaluru’s Gurappanapalya, and 16 others.

Pasha, in association with Khaja Moideen who is accused in several cases registered in Tamil Nadu related to terrorism and murder of Hindu leaders, formed a terrorist gang by recruiting young Muslims in southern India, the official of the premier investigation agency said.

They formed the Al-Hind module and selected Bengaluru as their base and conducted several criminal conspiracy meetings in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu since April 2019, the NIA official said.

They had propagated the ideology of the proscribed terrorist organisation, the Islamic State or the ISIS, and conspired to collect arms and explosives for murdering police officers and Hindu leaders, the official said.

Shihabudeen was part of the larger conspiracy and on the directions of Moideen, he had collected and handed over arms and ammunition to other accused in Mumbai, the NIA official said.

These arms were further used in the murder of Special Sub-Inspector Wilson of the Tamil Nadu Police, the official said, adding that further investigation in the case was underway.