NIA raids 44 locations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, 15 in custody

A total of 15 people were arrested in the ISIS terror conspiracy case from Maharashtra and Karnataka on Saturday following searches by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at 44 locations in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The anti-terror agency sleuths raided these locations in close coordination with the police of Maharashtra and Karnataka.Of the 44 locations being raided since this morning, the NIA sleuths searched one place in Karnataka, two in Pune, 31 in Thane Rural, nine in Thane city, and one in Bhayander. The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by accused persons and their associates who had pledged to the violent extremist ideology of banned terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and had formed a terrorist gang. The terrorist organizations had recruited like-minded youth into their fold besides conducting religious classes to wage violent jihad to establish Islamic rule in India. 
The investigation has unveiled a complex network of individuals committed to propagating the extremist ideology of ISIS within India.This network took an oath of allegiance (Bayath) to the self-styled Khalifa (leader) of ISIS and was found to be involved in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), they said.The network intended to carry out acts of terrorism on Indian soil, they said.