Maharashtra ATS arrests 9 men from Aurangabad, Mumbra over alleged links with ISIS

The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad arrested 9 men from Aurangabad, Mumbra over alleged links with ISIS on Wednesday. The arrests came after massive searches conducted by the security personnel at five locations in Aurangabad, Mumbra and Thane districts. The men were brought for questioning and later arrested. According to news agency ANI, the Maharashtra ATS has recovered certain chemicals, powder, mobile phones, hard drives SIM cards, acid bottle, sharp knives etc seized during searches. A case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 has been registered against the men and the further investigation is underway.

The arrests come after a massive operation conducted by the National Investigation Agency in December last year. At that time, the officials had conducted raids at 16 location in areas such as Hapur, Ghaziabad, Amroha in Uttar Pradesh and Zaffrabad in Delhi. As many as 10 individuals were arrested after the NIA operations. The probe agency had said that they accused were planning to attack crowded places and political personalities. The fairly-new group was identified as 'Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam’. NIA inspector general Alok Mittal told reporters that searches were carried out in Delhi's Seelampur locality, UP's Lucknow, Amroha and Hapur districts where a huge quantity of explosives, a country-made rocket launcher, 100 mobiles and 135 SIM cards were recovered.

Five people were picked up from the western Uttar Pradesh district of Amroha following a joint operation with the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad, Inspector General ATS Asim Arun said in Lucknow.

On January 17 also, the NIA had conducted fresh raids and arrested one more individual. The agency had earlier said it had seized a locally made rocket launcher, material for suicide vests and 112 alarm clocks to be used as timers besides recovering 25 kg of explosive material -- Potassium Nitrate, Ammonium Nitrate, and Sulphur.

The group had allegedly purchased remote-controlled cars and wireless doorbells to use their circuits in assembling remote-controlled improvised explosive devices.

Besides, the NIA had also seized steel containers, electric wires, 91 mobile phones, 134 SIM cards, 3 laptops, knife, sword, ISIS-related literature during the searches conducted earlier.

(With agency inputs)