The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet against six accused in the Maharashtra ISIS terror-module case. The NIA in its investigation has found links of a larger conspiracy with international connections and even the involvement of a complex network, active in propagating ISIS ideology in India. The accused are chargesheeted before the NIA Special Court in Mumbai today under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC).
They were allegedly engaged in actively propagating the violent and extremist ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and carrying out acts preparatory to terrorist violence through the recruitment of individuals to the organisation and its cause. According to NIA chargesheet, they are all members of the proscribed ISIS outfit and had hatched a conspiracy to further the terrorist activities of the organisation, with the intention to strike fear and terror among people and threaten the security of India, its secular ethos and culture and the democratic system of governance.
The NIA said that the accused were arrested in July during multiple raids conducted by the NIA in Maharashtra. The 400-page chargesheet, filed in the court of Special NIA Judge A K Lahoti, has 16 protected witnesses. The agency informed that it recovered incriminating material related to “Hijrah” i.e. migration to Syria, from the accused. It also found propaganda magazines, such as “Voice of Hind” and “Voice of Khurasan”, published by the ISIS. It further said that the accused had been sharing DIY kits with their contacts. The accused were also found to be raising funds to finance their terror plans and designs.