‘The case relates to a criminal conspiracy to murder Hindu leaders, trigger communal riots’

Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted simultaneous searches at 25 locations in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in connection with the recent IS Khaja Moideen module case and recovered incriminating documents.

According to an official release, NIA carried out searches at 15 locations, in Bengaluru and Kolar district in Karnataka. The locations included the residences of the accused in the case, both arrested and absconding. Searches were also conducted at the offices of Al-Hind Trust, linked to the case. During the searches, a number of items, including nine mobile phones, five SIM cards, one laptop, two hard discs, four CDs/DVDs, 18 books, an autorickshaw, firecrackers and other incriminating documents were seized from these locations, the release said.

“The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy to murder Hindu leaders, trigger communal riots and to do anti-national activities by forming a terrorist gang, being inspired by IS, a proscribed terrorist organisation,” the release said.

The accused in the case had allegedly conspired with IS member Khaja Moideen, native of Parangipettai, Cuddalore district. Members of the terrorist gang conducted meetings at Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and propagated IS ideology, procured arms and ammunition and other incriminating material for executing their plans.

Absconding

In this connection, Mehaboob Pasha, Mohammed Mansoor Ali Khan, Saleem Khan, Zabiulla, Syed Azmathulla were arrested earlier and the other accused are absconding, officials said.

Meanwhile in Tamil Nadu, searches were conducted at 10 locations in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Toothukudi, Salem, and Cuddalore districts. The seized items will be submitted before the jurisdictional NIA Special Courts at Chennai and Bengaluru and the digital devices subjected to cyber forensic examination.