NIA conducts nationwide raids in online terror conspiracy case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out nationwide searches in an online terror radicalisation case linked to an alleged conspiracy to establish an Islamic State in India through violent jihad against the democratically elected government by promoting the ideologies of the terrorist organisations the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. Simultaneous searches were conducted at 20 locations across Delhi and the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Several digital devices were seized and will undergo forensic examination to obtain further leads in the radicalisation conspiracy.
So far, 11 accused persons and one juvenile have been arrested in the case. The NIA took over the investigation from the Vijayawada police in May this year. The case had originally been registered by the police in March following a search at the residence of the principal accused, Rahmatullah Sharif Mohammad, where objectionable material linked to AQIS and ISIS was allegedly recovered. The locations searched on Wednesday were identified on the basis of a detailed technical analysis of previously seized digital devices, the links of the arrested accused and other evidence gathered during the investigation. 
According to the NIA, efforts are continuing to identify other individuals involved in the alleged conspiracy to destabilise the country and establish a caliphate. The agency has found that the arrested accused and their associates were allegedly using violent jihadist content and misinformation disseminated online to radicalise vulnerable youth across the country. Investigators also allege that the accused remained in online contact with handlers based abroad to propagate jihadist ideology and further anti-India activities.

(Freelance Journalist)