NIA chargesheets one of two arrested ISIS Jharkhand module members

The accused, identified as Faizan Ansari alias Faiz, had taken an oath of allegiance (Bayath) to the self-styled Khalifa (leader) of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a banned global terror outfit that has been making efforts to increase its activities across India.

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday charge-sheeted one of the two members of the ISIS Jharkhand module arrested last year, as part of the agency’s crackdown on the proscribed global terrorist organisation.

The accused, identified as Faizan Ansari alias Faiz, had taken an oath of allegiance (Bayath) to the self-styled Khalifa (leader) of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a banned global terror outfit that has been making efforts to increase its activities across India.

---

As per NIA investigations, Faiz was actively involved in propagating the ideology of violent extremism pursued by ISIS.

Faiz was engaged in carrying out acts preparatory to terrorist violence through the recruitment of individuals to the organisation and its cause, said the NIA.

“He was found to have created and administered multiple ISIS-aligned cyber groups on Telegram and Instagram platforms for dissemination of terrorist propaganda materials, including ISIS magazines “Voice of Hind” and “Voice of Khorasan”, with the aim of influencing and recruiting impressionable youth for carrying out violent attacks in India.” The NIA filed the chargesheet against Faiz in a Special Court in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

While Faiz, a resident of Ranchi in Jharkhand, was arrested on July 20 last year, his associate Omar Bahadur alias Rahul Sen of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, was apprehended in September last year.

Both are members of ISIS and had hatched a conspiracy to further the unlawful activities of the outfit, with an intention to strike fear and terror amongst the people and threaten the security of India as well as its secular ethos, culture and democratic system of governance.

NIA had registered the Jharkhand ISIS Terror Module case (NIA RC-02/2023/NIA/RNC) on July 19 last year against Faiz and others, following information received by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding a conspiracy hatched by ISIS to disturb the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country through promotion of terrorist acts and activities.

NIA investigations so far in the case have revealed a larger conspiracy with international linkages and the involvement of foreign-based ISIS handlers. Investigations have also exposed a complex network of individuals committed to propagating the extremist and violent ideology of ISIS within India.

Further investigations in the case are continuing in accordance with the provisions of section 173(8) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

It may be noted that ISIS, also known by the names Islamic State (IS), Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), Daish/Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), ISIS Wilayat Khorasan and Islamic State of Iraq and Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K), has been operating through various modules to spread terror across India.