On Wednesday (13th March), the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said that the three people who were arrested in an ISIS Pune module case last year robbed a Satara saree store owner, and used the proceeds to purchase components for making bombs. The three accused terrorists were previously arrested by the National Investigation Agency, which uncovered alleged ISIS modules throughout the country.
Notably, the Maharashtra ATS took custody of Mohammad Shahnawaz Alam Shafiujma Khan, Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki, and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala from the central agency and brought them before a special ATS court on the 13th of March.
The court remanded them in ATS custody until 21st March. On July 18, 2023, Yunus and his friend Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan were apprehended while trying to steal a vehicle in the Kothrud region of Pune. Shahnawaz Alam escaped but was later apprehended by Delhi Police.
It is worth recalling that Barodawala was arrested by the NIA after it took over the investigation. An ATS source said that “during their stay in Pune’s Kondhwa region, Yunus and Shahnawaz Alam robbed a saree store owner at gunpoint in Satara (in western Maharashtra) on April 8, 2023, and stole Rs 1 lakh, according to our investigation.” According to an ATS source, the two and Barodawala used the money to buy bomb-making materials. The ATS charged them with terror-related offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He said that further investigations were underway.
During the court hearing, prosecution counsel Vijay Fargade told the court, “Probe has revealed that a part of the proceeds from the armed robbery in Satara were used to purchase components to assemble a bomb. Probe has also revealed these members used the proceeds of the crime for terror funding.”
The web of the Pune ISIS Module case
In July 2023, the Pune Police arrested Shahnawaz and two people from MP, Mohammad Imran Khan and Mohammad Saki in connection with the theft of a two-wheeler in Pune.
Further probe revealed a larger Pune ISIS terror module case. Three terrorists namely Talha Liaquat Khan of Pune, and Rizwan Abdul Haji Ali and Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh of Delhi were on the Pune Police’s most wanted list.
Shahnawaz was then caught by the Delhi Police in October last year. It was revealed that Shahnawaz’s wife was a Hindu named Basanti Patel who converted to Islam and was known as Mariyam. The search for Mariyam and her sister is ongoing.
Shahnawaz is a graduate from Nagpur’s NIT with a Btech in mining. According to the NIA, Shahnawaz has links with Barodawala, who is reportedly the mastermind and financier of the Pune ISIS terror module.
Barodawala provided training and money to Mohammad Imran, Yunus, and Shahnawaz. Moreover, Akif Atiq Nachan, the IED expert, had helped hide Imran and Yunus. Mohammad Imran is a graphic designer.
Akif had stayed in the Kondwa flat of Imran and Yunus for several days in order to train them. He gave them bomb-making training in 2022 and showed how an IED is made. Agencies are on the lookout for some other people who were part of the training too.
A reward of Rs 5 lakh was put on Imran’s head by the NIA in the case registered in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. Additionally, a case was filed against Imran and his two associates at the Kothrud police station. Later, a case was filed against all accused under UAPA.
The extensive charge sheet exposes how ISIS has been launching all-out operations in India by consolidating all terrorist groups. It has also unleashed a web of darker radicals who are pursuing the dangerous trend of self-radicalisation.