NIA arrests two in Bengaluru, Thane in Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent case

New Delhi [India], February 12 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested two accused from Bengaluru and Maharashtra’s Thane in connection with its probe into Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) case, the agency said.

The accused identified as Mohd Arif and Hamraz Worshid Shaikh were arrested following searches conducted in Bengaluru in Karnataka and Thane in Maharashtra on Saturday. The case is linked to a conspiracy by terrorist organizations based in India and abroad to radicalize youth and provoke them to indulge in acts of violence and terrorism, said the NIA.

Arif, a resident of Bengaluru, and Shaikh, who belongs to Thane, were in contact with foreign-based online handlers affiliated to proscribed terrorist organisations, said the Central probe agency.

“They had also made elaborate plans to leave for Afghanistan to progress their terrorist activities.”

The anti-terror agency on Saturday conducted l searches at two locations in Bengaluru and Thane and started a probe against the two arrested suspects in the terror conspiracy case.

The NIA on Saturday had searched the Thanisandra area in Bengaluru and Palghar in Thane with the active help of the Internal Security Division in Karnataka and local police.

The NIA probe against the arrested accused started as inputs had revealed that they were in contact with foreign-based online handlers affiliated to proscribed terrorist organisations over encrypted communication platforms and that they were involved in a conspiracy to radicalize youth over social media platforms and provoke them to indulge in acts of violence and terrorism.

The case was initially registered on July 24 last year at Tilaknagar Police Station in Bengaluru and re-registered by the NIA on November 30 last year.
During these searches, the NIA had claimed to seize various digital devices and documents.