Pune ISIS module case: Shamil Saquib Nachan sent to NIA custody till August 18

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Shamil Saquib Nachan, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday, has been sent to agency's custody till August 18.

He was produced before a special PMLA court. The NIA sought custodial remand. The court allowed the move.

Nachan was arrested for his alleged active involvement in promoting terrorist activities of the designated foreign terrorist organisation.

This was the sixth arrest made by the counter terrorism agency in the case.

"The accused, Shamil Saquib Nachan, a resident of Padgha, Thane, was found involved in the fabrication, training and testing of improvised explosive devices (IED) for commission of terrorist acts. He had been working in collaboration with five other accused, identified as Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi and Abdul Kadir Pathan, alongwith some other suspects," the NIA said in a statement.

 The agency said Imran Khan and Mohammed Yunus Saki, were members of the ‘Sufa terrorist gang’ and were absconding. They were declared ‘most wanted’ in a case relating to recovery of explosives from a car in Rajasthan in April 2022.

"These members of an ISIS sleeper module, including Shamil, were operating from a house in Kondhwa, Pune, where they had assembled IEDs and also organised and participated in bomb training and making workshop last year. They had also carried out a controlled explosion at this location to test an IED fabricated by them," the NIA said.

It said, "ISIS Pune module case on August 3, 2023, have shown that the accused had plans to commit terrorist acts with the aim to disturb peace and communal harmony of the country. They had planned to wage a war against the Government of India in furtherance of the ISIS agenda."