A week ahead of Independence Day, the Delhi Police made a major breakthrough as it arrested ISIS-linked terrorist Rizwan Abdul Haji Ali, a key member of the Pune ISIS module on Friday morning.
Rizwan, a resident of Daryaganj in Delhi, was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. Weapons were recovered from his possession, cops said.
Rizwan had evaded arrest since escaping the custody of Pune police. A warrant for his arrest was issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and also placed a Rs 3 lakh bounty on his head.
He was considered to be the most notorious figure in the ISIS.Rizwan also allegedly conducted reconnaissance of several high-profile targets in Delhi and Mumbai, along with other members of the Pune ISIS module.
Along with co-conspirators, Rizwan had allegedly carried out a recce of several important locations in the national capital.
Pune ISIS module case
The NIA had charged 11 accused in the July 2023 case relating to the seizure of arms, explosives, chemicals, and ISIS-related literature in Maharashtra’s Pune.
Rizwan was named in the supplementary chargesheet filed by the NIA in March this year. Three other accused were also named in the chargesheet.
As per the anti-terror agency, all the accused were members of ISIS and were involved in plans to unleash terror in and around Pune as part of a larger conspiracy to promote the terror activities of the outfit.
During the investigation, it was found that the accused were in touch with their foreign-based handler through secret communication apps. They were allegedly raising funds by carrying out armed robberies and thefts and were receiving money from their handlers for carrying out their terror activities.
The probe in the case by NIA also revealed that IED fabrication training was given to these men in Pune’s Kondhwa and even conducted a controlled blast. The findings also revealed that the accused were trained in shooting while they were preparing for terrorist strikes.
The NIA had further said that these men had scouted areas in the Western Ghats for potential hideouts and checked places in cities across Maharashtra and Gujarat to carry out terror attacks.
With inputs from agencies
Link to article –
