The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted a supplementary chargesheet in the Karnataka case involving the “Al-Hind ISIS module,” which is reportedly part of a broader international terrorist conspiracy.
In a statement released today, the NIA revealed that two additional individuals have been charged in connection with a plot involving targeted killings and other terrorist activities.
The newly charged suspects, Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazib, both from Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district, had been evading capture until their arrest following a bomb blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on 1 March 2024 which injured nine people. Taha and Shazib were apprehended in West Bengal on 12 April 2024 concerning the cafe explosion. Authorities believe Shazib planted the bomb and Taha was a key conspirator. Both individuals face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the Al-Hind ISIS module case. To date, 18 people have been charged in this investigation, which the NIA took over from Bengaluru City police on 23 January 2020.
The NIA’s investigation has revealed that Taha, a radical himself, recruited Shazib and others. In 2018, Taha was introduced to an online handler, Bhai or Laptop Bhai, who was later introduced to Mehaboob Pasha. Pasha established the Al-Hind Trust in Bengaluru with his family. The NIA found that Pasha provided an online handler link to Khaja Mohideen, who, along with his associates, purportedly joined the Al-Hind Trust to advance ISIS activities in India.
Additionally, the NIA discovered that Taha and Shazib had sheltered Thowfeek and Abdul Shameem, who allegedly used a pistol supplied by Pasha to murder Wilson, a special sub-inspector of Tamil Nadu police, at the Kaliyakkavilai checkpoint on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The investigation is ongoing.
NIA Chargesheets 2 more Terrorists in Karnataka Al-Hind ISIS Module Case pic.twitter.com/XIeuroETwU
— NIA India (@NIA_India) August 19, 2024
Who Was SSI Wilson?
Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) Wilson, who was tragically murdered on 8 January 2020, was a police officer stationed at the Kaliyakavilai police station in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. He was on duty at a checkpoint on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border when he was shot and stabbed by individuals linked to extremist groups.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged seven suspects with this case. They are Abdul Shamim (30), Taufiq (27), Khaja Moideen (53), Mehboob Pasha (48), Ijaz Pasha (46), Zafar Ali (26), and Sikkabuddin (36). The case, initially handled by the state police, was later taken over by the NIA. The suspects were moved from various prisons to appear before Judge Ilavalagan, after which they were returned to their respective facilities under strict security.
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