The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken a significant step forward in the Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case, which involves the creation of graffiti in Mangaluru in support of banned terrorist groups like ISIS and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). According to an official statement released on Friday, the NIA has filed a chargesheet against an additional accused, Arafath Ali, in addition to two others – Mohammed Shariq and Maaz Muneer Ahmed – in a case registered back in 2022.
Arafath Ali, who was apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi upon his return from Kenya last year on September 14, is alleged to have played a pivotal role in radicalizing and hiring individuals to write the graffiti in January 2020. Ali had previously fled to Dubai to evade arrest in another case, the Al-Hind module case, due to his association with two absconding accused – Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb.
The investigations conducted by the NIA have revealed that Ali indoctrinated Shariq, Ahmed, and others at the behest of Taha and Shazeb to create graffiti in support of ISIS, LeT, and Taliban at two locations in Mangaluru. It was further uncovered that Ali, along with his associates and an online handler, was part of a broader conspiracy to promote terror activities of IS/ISIS. He allegedly paid the graffiti writers using funds received from his online handler in the form of cryptocurrencies.
The NIA had previously filed a main and a supplementary chargesheet against nine accused, including Shariq and Ahmed, in connection with this case. However, further investigations are ongoing, as stated by the official.
The case underscores the grave threat posed by individuals and groups supporting terrorist organizations and highlights the NIA’s continued efforts to root out such activities. The agency’s diligence in pursuing these cases demonstrates its commitment to safeguarding national security and preventing any attempts to disrupt peace and harmony in the country.
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