All five accused alleged associates of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been sent to the custody of the Pune Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) till August 11, a court said on Saturday. The ATS said they found an Indian map containing several cities marked and retrieved laptops revealed that the accused had studied the modus operandi of terror attacks.
The ATS, after its investigation, informed the court that all accused arrested are associated with ISIS. The agency mentioned that the initial probe indicated the accused’s link to the Al Sufa module. However, investigations has now revealed that they are all part of ISIS, they said.
The ATS also submitted an Indian map with several cities marked on it as evidence before the court. However, the ATS did not mention the names of the cities in the open court.
Accused terror operatives Mohammad Imran Khan and Mohammad Yunus Saki received training to make bombs by Zulfikar Ali and others among five arrested by Pune Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in a case involving links to the Islamic State (ISIS or IS), according to the latest updates.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) made several arrests in connection with the case. On July 3, the agency arrested four people – Tabish Nasser Siddiqui from Mumbai, Zubair Noor Mohammed Shaikh also known as Abu Nusaiba from Pune, and Sharjeel Shaikh and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala from Thane.
A few days later, on July 18, the Pune ATS arrested Mohammad Imran and Mohammad Yunus, who worked for the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) offshoot SUFA and were wanted in an NIA case. They were arrested in Kondhwa.
On a subsequent date, the ATS arrested Simab Nasaruddin Qazi for aiding Shahanawaaz Alam, who is currently on the run, after the arrests of Khan and Saki.
Zulfikar Ali, who was arrested by NIA in Thane in July, was later taken into custody by the Pune ATS from Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.
On Saturday’s most recent development, the NIA took custody of Aakif Ateeque Nachan. He is alleged to be involved in the fabrication and testing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) for the commission of terrorist acts and arranging a hideout for two other terror operatives, according to an official statement.
The ATS has also seized a 2-wheeler used by the absconding accused, while a 4-wheeler and 5 live cartridges were seized from the two accused who were arrested.
Zulfikar, Others Taught How to Make Bombs
According to the latest information, Zulfikar and the other accused, who are currently in ATS custody, allegedly taught Mohammad Imran Khan and Mohammad Yunus Saki how to make bombs. They imparted knowledge about creating bombs using explosive powder, acids and timer mechanisms as part of the process.
Khan and Saki arrived in Maharashtra during Ramzan in 2022 and have been residing in Pune on rent since then. During a search of their residence, the ATS discovered electronic gadgets and a white powder, prompting the deployment of a dog squad for further investigation.
White powder seized from their residence has been sent to a forensic laboratory for detailed analysis.
The seized materials consisted of chemical powder, charcoal, a thermometer, a dropper, a soldering gun, a multimeter, small bulbs, batteries, an alarm clock, and a spanner, which was allegedly used in stealing motorcycles, according to an official statement.
Aadhar Card Link to be Probed
Explosives, drones, and acids were purchased by these accused by producing their Aadhaar cards, the court was told. ATS will now question those from whom these products were purchased.
Studied Past Attacks by Terror Organisations, Modus Operandi
Details retrieved from seized laptops showed that the accused had downloaded and studied literature related to attacks carried out by various terrorist organisations. They had also studied the modus operandi of these attacks, how they were planned, and how terrorists would escape after executing such attacks.
On July 18, Khan and Saki (24) were arrested by the Pune police from the Kondhwa area in connection with an alleged terror-related case in Rajasthan. The ATS later took over the investigation.
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