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Updated: Dec 26, 2018 18:01 IST

The ISIS-inspired module, ‘Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam’, busted on Wednesday with 10 arrests and raids on 17 locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh was largely self-financed, senior National Investigating Agency (NIA) official said.

“The module was self-financed with members contributing to the funds. One of the arrested persons has said he stole and sold family gold to finance his activities”, NIA IG Alok Mittal said.

The NIA on Wednesday detained 10 people, including an engineering student of an institute in Noida, of the module that was allegedly planning attacks on vital installations, politicians, VIPs and crowded places.

Also Read: Bombs, rocket launcher, suicide vests: Busted ISIS unit was ready to attack

The material recovered from them indicated that the group was planning multiple remote-controlled and/or suicide bombings, the officer added. Country made rocket launcher, Rs 7.5 lakh in cash, 112 clock clocks, pipes, suicide vests, explosive material, phones and SIM cards were seized from those arrested.

The group, headed by Mufti Suhail of Amroha, was in constant touch with their handler in a foreign country and communicated with each other on messaging platform WhatsApp and Telegram, the officer added.

The group was under NIA surveillance for some time following inputs of their suspicious activities, he said.

Also Read: Terror in numbers: 120 clocks, 25 kg explosives, 100 phones, 135 SIM cards

In December 2017, a report by the ministry of home affairs had said that the NIA had arrested as many as 103 accused in cases against ISIS cadres, the maximum number of people being from Uttar Pradesh.

Intelligence agencies have in the past traced and busted small IS cells in Kashmir as well as in southern states such as Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.