Maharashtra (Islamist/Other Conflicts): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2023

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 11, conducted searches at four locations at Seoni District in Madhya Pradesh and one location at Pune in Maharashtra in cases related to attempts by persons linked with the Islamic State (IS) and its fronts to radicalise and instigate youths to carry out acts of terror against a particular community, reports The Indian Express. An NIA spokesperson stated, “Following up on leads, NIA teams searched the houses of suspects Talha Khan in Pune and Akram Khan in Seoni in the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) case.” The residential and commercial premises of Shoeb Khan and Abdul Aziz Khan, suspects in the Shivamogga IS case related to the Mangaluru blast were searched. Aziz was in contact with the arrested accused in the Shivamogga-IS case, Maaz Muneer Ahmed of Karnataka, who had procured explosives for the trial blast. After conducting the raids, the NIA arrested two of them, Abdul Aziz and Shoaib Khan for questioning in connection with a bomb blast and burning of the national flag by three IS terrorists in Karnataka's Shivamogga in 2022. The case was initially registered by Delhi Police Special Cell after the arrest of Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and Hina Bashir Beigh from Delhi. The couple was found to be affiliated with ISKP. During investigations, the role of another accused Abdullah Basith emerged, who was already lodged in Tihar Jail in another NIA case. Read less...

The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), on March 14, arrested four Bangladeshi nationals, identified as Mohammad Zeenat Sheikh, Mohammad Sumod Sikander, Ripa Jannat Sheikh and Munni Shikdar, for entering India illegally and without having valid documents, from the Navi Mumbai area of Maharashtra, reports latestly.com. Read less...

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 23, conducted raids in Maharashtra's Nagpur at the house of Abdul Muqtadir for his suspected links with Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, reports India Today. The officials also searched the house of Abdul's neighbours. NIA stated that Abdul Muqtadir spoke to a maulana in Pakistan in 2017, after which he went to Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli and made a call to Pakistan from there. After that, he was on the NIA's radar. Sources also stated that Abdul had also spoken to members of Zakir Naik's organisation Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). Zakir Naik is accused of instigating Muslim youth and terrorists in India and abroad to commit terrorist acts. Read less...