Two ISIS suspects arrested at Mumbai airport in 2023 Pune IED case | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two alleged members of terrorist outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) sleeper cell in connection with the 2023 case involving the fabrication and testing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Pune.

Sleeper cell is a terrorist cell whose members work under cover in an area until sent into action.

The two suspects, Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh alias Diaperwala and Talha Khan, were intercepted by the immigration authorities at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport upon their arrival from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had been evading arrest. Following a Look-Out Circular issued by the NIA, the duo was detained and subsequently handed over to the agency.

According to officials, the two men had been on the run for over two years and were wanted under non-bailable warrants issued by a special NIA court in Mumbai. The agency had previously announced a cash reward of ₹3 lakh each for credible information leading to their arrest.

The case pertains to an alleged ISIS-linked sleeper cell operating out of Pune that was conspiring to execute terrorist acts aimed at disturbing peace, inciting communal unrest, and waging war against the Indian state to further the ISIS ideology of establishing Islamic rule through violence and terror.

Both Shaikh and Khan had already been charge-sheeted in the case, along with eight other accused. Investigations revealed that the duo was involved in assembling IEDs at a rented house in Kondhwa, Pune, and had participated in bomb-making workshops and controlled explosions conducted in 2022 and 2023 to test the devices.

The NIA has charge-sheeted all ten accused under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code.

Apart from Shaikh and Khan, the other arrested individuals include, Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Abdul Kadir Pathan, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Shamil Nachan, Akif Nachan, and Shahnawaz Alam.