The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought assistance from six countries, including the US, UAE and Canada, in its ongoing investigation against various suspected ISIS operatives and their terror activities in the country.
The probe agency disclosed this in its chargesheet filed before District Judge Amar Nath against 16 suspected ISIS operatives, arrested from across the country on charges of allegedly recruiting and financing people to join the terror group.
The agency claimed that the accused were trying to “advance the cause of ISIS and establish Caliphate in India”. It also alleged that they were seeking assistance from Maoist groups and had also planned to use forests of Telangana as hideout.
The chargesheet said:
Investigation confirmed that the accused persons were using different mobile numbers and they had contacted and interacted with their associates on web-based social media networks for purpose of recruitment, preparation of IEDs, identifying places for training and hideout and finally committing terror strikes at various public places and vital installations in India.. In this regard two requests under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to USA, one request under MLAT to Canada, two requests under MLAT to UAE and one Letters Rogatory each to Ireland, New Zealand and Sudan have been sent for collection of evidence against the accused persons.
NIA claimed that members of banned group – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – in connivance with a few resident and non-resident Indians, have been indulging in identification, radicalisation, recruitment and training to carry out subversive ISIS activities in India.
The chargesheet also alleged that some Indian youths were transferred by the accused to countries like Syria, Libia and Iraq for terror acts.
(This copy has been edited for length.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)