NIA team visits Shivamogga: Islamic State operative arrested

PTI, Jan 5, 2023, 8:44 PM IST

An alleged operative of the Islamic State, also know as ISIS, was arrested Thursday as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided six locations in Karnataka in connection with a conspiracy hatched by the global terror group to further its activities across the country, an official said.

Huzair Farhan Baig of Shivamogga district was arrested during searches in Karnataka. An engineering student, Reshaan Thajuddin Sheikh of Udupi district was arrested from Nadupadavu in Kairangala village

The official said the searches were conducted in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Davanagere and Bengaluru in connection with a case which was initially registered at the Shivamogga Rural Police station on September 19, last year and later re-registered by the NIA on November 15.

The spokesperson said the case relates to conspiracy hatched by the accused to further the terror activities of Islamic State (IS), a banned terrorist organization, and to endanger the unity, security and sovereignty of the country.

”Investigation have revealed that the accused Maaz Muneer radicalized his close associate and collegemate Sheikh who along with Baig received funds from their ISIS handler through Crypto-wallets for furthering the terrorist activities of the Islamic State,” the spokesperson said, adding ”as part of their larger violent and disruptionist designs, they were also indulging in arson and targeting of vehicles and other establishments, such as liquor shops, godowns and transformers”.

The official said digital devices and incriminating documents were seized from the houses of the accused and the suspects during the raids.

Two other accused have been arrested in the case earlier, taking the number of those arrested in the case to four, the spokesperson said.