Maharashtra (Islamist/Other Conflicts): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2019

Mumbai police's Crime Branch on January 8 stated that they have got custody of a close aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's nephew, reports New Indian Express. According to an official, Danish Ali, a close aide of Ibrahim's nephew SohailKaskar, was deported from the United States of America on November 15 last year following which the Mumbai Police took him into custody last month. The official also added that Ali and Kaskar, along with two Pakistani nationals, were arrested by US agencies in a narco-terrorism case in 2014. Ali had left India and moved to Dubai in 2001 where he teamed up with Kaskar to operate a diamond smuggling ring. The two attempted to enter Russia to further the diamond racket but Ali was denied a visa. However, he managed to enter Russia a little while later on a student visa and regrouped with Kaskar for diamond smuggling operations after attending college there for two years. The duo came on the radar of US agencies when they moved to Spain from where they were nabbed, along with two Pakistani nationals. They were behind bars for a period of one-and-half years and were then turned over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and remained in jail for another two-and-half year starting September 2015. Mumbai Police demanded his custody from US authorities as Ali was wanted in an extortion case. Accepting India's request, US authorities extradited Ali on November 15, 2018. He was handed over to Mumbai police in the first week of December last year and has been in jail since. Read less...

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been handed over the probe in the case in which a man, Harpalsingh Pratapsingh Naik, allegedly linked to the Khalistani movement was arrested from Chakan in Pune city of Pune District, reports Indian Express on January 21. Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) that was probing the case till now had arrested one more suspect from Delhi in connection with the incident. Earlier, ATS on December 2, 2018 arrested Naik for using social media to provoke youths to carry out terror attacks. The ATS probe had brought to light the links of Naik with some operatives in Pakistan and United Kingdom. Later, Punjab police arrested another suspect, identified as Mohin Khan Alias Munna Khan, from Sirhind on December 24. Khan was found to be associated with Naik. Read less...

Non-Bailable warrants were issued on January 21 by a sessions court in Mumbai against two Pakistani Army officers for their involvement in 26/11 attack in Mumbai, reports New Indian Express on February 4. The Pakistani Army officers were identified as Major Abdul Rehman Pasha and Major Iqbal. Major Iqbal and Major Pasha are wanted accused as per the charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch in the case. While Major Pasha has retired, Major Iqbal is still believed to be serving as an Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) official in Pakistan. Read less...

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) during the intervening night and early morning of January 22, arrested nine people (including a juvenile) from Mumbra, Thane and Aurangabad for alleged links with Islamic State (IS), reports Hindustan Times. The arrested persons were identified as Salman Khan, Fahad Shah, Zamen Kutepadi, Mohseen Khan, Mohammad Mazhar Shaikh, Taki Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Zahid Shaikh and the 17-year-old juvenile was not named. Mohammed Shaikh worked as a computer engineer in Bhiwandi (Thane District) and was arrested from Mumbra. The ATS also seized chemicals, powder, mobile phones, hard drives, SIM cards, acid bottle, knives etc. during the raids. These arrests came during the course of an investigation into the presence of sleeper cells ahead of Republic Day. Three of the men Salman, Mohseen and Taki are brothers; their main task was to recruit and radicalise. Further, Mohseen, the eldest of the trio was 'head' of the local module and was monitoring every member from Mumbra. He was also connected with propaganda module of IS. Additionally, Fahad Shah was a civil engineer while Zamen Kutepadi worked as a medical representative. The Hindu further reports that the arrested individuals were linked to Popular Front of India (PFI) in Kerala. Furthermore, Times Now reports that the nine arrestees had formed an organisation Ummat-e-Muhammadiya and were in touch with IS. Additionally, it was reported that, Mazar Sheikh, is the son of a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim, identified as Rashid Malbari. According to Maharashtra ATS the arrestees were planning a mass killing by mixing poison in food and drinks at a gathering. DNA further adds that an ATS officer stated that ‘Since his father Rashid Malabari was linked with the underworld, we would be probing if Mazar too had links with underworld operatives’. Read less...

Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on January 26 arrested one more person for his suspected links with Islamic State (IS) from Mumbra in Thane District, reports Indian Express. The arrestee has been identified as Talha Potrick alias Anu Bakr Potrick. Earlier on January 23, Mumbai ATS had arrested seven men and detained a minor for allegedly plotting to carry out a chemical attack. According to ATS, Talha Pudrik, the latest arrest, was picked up from his Mumbra residence after those arrested earlier “revealed his role” in the alleged conspiracy. The ATS seized a laptop, a tablet, a hard disk, pen drives, a router, cell phones and diaries from Pudrik’s residence. Read less...

Investigation officers of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) stated that the recently arrested 10 Islamic State (IS) linked crossed paths with their handler while being radicalised on the Internet, reports The Hindu on January 28. According to ATS sources, around six months ago, the accused starting reading IS-related literature online. They then began interacting with other, like-minded individuals on various discussion forums. An officer stated that ‘While the exact sequence of events is being verified, inquiries indicate some of the accused, in the course of these discussions, started interacting with their handler. After several such conversations, during which they were further radicalised, the handler put them in touch with each other. We believe this handler is the common link between the Aurangabad module and the Mumbra module’. The officer said this was the genesis of the Ummat-e-Mohammadiya, the second alleged IS sleeper cell to be busted in the State. The accused discussed the plan to procure chemicals and poison food or water. In 2016 15 IS inspired Junood-e-Khalifa-e-Hind (the Army of the Caliphate in India) operatives were arrested. Read less...