NIA raids in 4 states to bust jihadi terror group
What's the story
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids at 19 locations across three Indian states and Delhi on Monday to bust a "highly radicalized jihadi terror group."
The outfit has been predominantly active in the digital space, per reports.
These raids by the anti-terror agency reportedly took place at 11 locations in Karnataka, three areas in Maharashtra, four locations in Jharkhand, and one in Delhi.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The NIA has been investigating an alleged conspiracy case linked to ISIS modules in India, and several people have already been apprehended in the matter.
The accused persons, some of them having tech backgrounds, were allegedly planning to carry out terror attacks and spread violence across the nation.
Separately, as part of its investigation into a Karnataka ISIS conspiracy case, the probe agency claimed the accused were receiving funds from ISIS online via cryptocurrencies.
Details
NIA's raids come days after similar operation
The NIA's latest crackdown on the terror group comes days after it conducted raids at more than 40 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka in connection to a terror conspiracy case involving Islamic State or ISIS.
During the raids, as part of the investigation into the terror plot by terrorist outfits like ISIS and al-Qaeda, the NIA apprehended 13 individuals from Pune in connection to the case.
What Next?
Crackdown on ISIS terror conspiracy case
The locations raided on December 9 by the anti-terror agency in Maharashtra included Pune, Thane, and Mira Bhayandar.
While most of the raids were conducted in Thane Rural (31) and Thane City (nine), two locations in Pune and one in Mira Bhayandar were also raided.
Besides the 13 accused arrested from Pune, at least six others, including five in November and one in August, have been arrested in the case so far.
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Recalling NIA raids in J&K in terror conspiracy case
Prior to the December 9 raids, the NIA conducted a similar operation at several locations across Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on December 6 in connection with a terror conspiracy.
The conspiracy was allegedly hatched by outfits linked to Pakistan-backed terror groups, per the NIA.
Providing details on its findings, the probe agency said its searches led to the seizure of several digital devices containing large amounts of incriminating documents and data.
More details
NIA took over probe from Delhi Police
On the Union Home Affairs Ministry's directives, the NIA on November 6 took charge of the current case under the Explosive Substances Act, Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The case was previously being investigated by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police following the arrest of terrorists Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf, Shahnawaz Alam, and Mohammad Arshad Warsi.