The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made a significant breakthrough in its crackdown on ISIS-linked operations in India by arresting two key absconders allegedly associated with a sleeper cell of the terrorist group. Officials reported that the arrests took place late Friday night at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The two suspects, Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh alias Diaperwala, and Talha Khan, were apprehended by the Bureau of Immigration at Terminal 2 as they returned from hiding in Jakarta, Indonesia. Both individuals were wanted in relation to a 2023 case of fabrication and testing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Pune, Maharashtra.
“These accused were absconding for more than two years and had been declared absconders. Non-bailable warrants were issued against them by the NIA Special Court, Mumbai,” the NIA stated in a release. The authorities had also offered a ₹3 lakh cash reward each for tips leading to their arrests.
The agency investigation revealed that Shaikh and Khan had leased a house in the Kondhwa locality of Pune, where they were busy making IEDs and even carried out a controlled test explosion between 2022–2023. The same premise was reportedly used to conduct a bomb-making workshop as part of a larger terror conspiracy.
The two individuals had already been included in a chargesheet alongside eight other accused persons, all of whom are under judicial custody. The men allegedly conspired to conduct terror attacks with the aim of disrupting India’s internal peace and communal harmony with the motive to install Islamic regime in India in sync with ISIS’s aggressive ideology.
The others apprehended in the same case are Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Abdul Kadir Pathan, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Shamil Nachan, Akif Nachan, and Shahnawaz Alam. All ten have been booked under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act, and Indian Penal Code.
Government officials stressed that the arrests reflect India’s efforts to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism and the NIA’s determination to stop extremist outfits such as ISIS from making any foothold in the country.
The accused are likely to be produced before the NIA Special Court for further action.
