The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday conducted multiple raids in New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in connection with a new module of Islamic State's terror group.
According to the officials, the search is being carried out at 16 locations in Delhi, Amroha, Ghaziabad and Lucknow. The new alleged ISIS module is named 'Harkat ul Harb-e-Islam'.
"The searches started early in the morning and are still going on," said an NIA official. The ATS confirmed that five people linked to the terror group have been arrested in UP.
There are at least 6-7 locations in Delhi itself where the IS-inspired module is active, mostly in Seelampur area.
Inspector General of Police (IG) UP ATS Asim Arun said that one person was arrested from a madrassa (a college for Islamic instruction) in Amroha, UP, and four others were arrested from other locations.
The intelligence agencies were on an alert after information of the former Hizbul Mujahideen commander and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (Al-Qaeda cell) chief Zakir Musa's presence in the country.
Suhail, one of the heads of Harkat ul Harb-e-Islam was arrested from Amroha with a pistol and explosives. The NIA also picked up three brothers, Anees, Nafees and Idrees from Amroha's Saidpur Imma village.
The trio was being monitored by the agency after the NIA arrested two suspected terrorists of Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), Parvez and Jamshed from Amroha in September.
The investigation agencies have also recovered guns, swords and explosive materials, including a grenade launcher from the detained people. They also recovered some jihadi literature and ISIS flag.
The exact plan of the network will be revealed after questioning them and it will lead to the main people behind the organisation.
(Further updates awaited)
