ISIS planning to set up territories in Karnataka’s forest areas

Team Udayavani, Jun 23, 2021, 8:53 AM IST

Bengaluru: An investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed that the suspects of ISIS-inspired Al-Hind, plotted the assassination of Hindu leaders and sabotage in the State and were also preparing to establish ‘ISIS territory’ in the forests of southern India, including Shivanasamudra, Kolar and Kodagu in Karnataka.

Al-Hind chief Mehboob Pasha and Khajha Moiudeen, who are imprisoned in Delhi, had visited the forest close to Shivanasamudra and after surveying it had decided to set up an ‘ISIS Province’ there.

They planned to train about 50-100 terrorists there and involve them in sabotage operations in the State.

They had sent the details of their area surveys and training plans to a senior ISIS member for approval.

The NIA has also named Tamil Nadu based Syed Ali in their chargesheet filed in the NIA court at Chennai.

Ali was an IED maker in Al-Hind. While Khajha Moiudeen would regularly contact ISIS senior leadership using the Dark Web.

Mehboob Pasha, head of Al-Hind in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, was arrested by Q Branch and CCB police officials in January 2020. The NIA and Q branch officials in Chennai have arrested 20 accused so far.

The group had already bought tents, bow and arrows, training shoes, bullets, blankets, ropes, ladders and fireworks for making the IEDs. A blueprint for the training was also prepared.

The group had also acquired SIM cards illegally using documents of their rural acquaintances and were using them to recruit new members from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.