Mumbai: In a major development in the ongoing probe into the Pune ISIS module, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in coordination with Pune police, carried out extensive search operations across the city on Thursday.

The raids targeted the residences and offices of 19 suspected individuals in Kondhwa, Khadak, Khadki, Wanwadi, and Bhosari, officials said. ATS teams from Mumbai and Pune conducted simultaneous searches to uncover digital evidence, documents, and communication devices linked to the module’s network. Several suspects were taken into custody for questioning, though authorities did not confirm any fresh arrests or seizures. Investigations are ongoing.

According to ATS, the operations were linked to C.R. No. 7/2023, investigating individuals previously arrested for alleged involvement in a sleeper ISIS module operating in Maharashtra. Sources said the raids targeted the residences and offices of the suspects, who are believed to have close links with ISIS operative Talha Liyakat Ali Khan (37). Khan was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after a two-year international manhunt. He was intercepted at Mumbai airport in May this year while attempting to return to India from Indonesia.

On June 4, 2025, the Maharashtra ATS arrested Khan from Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, where he was held in NIA custody, in connection with the April 8, 2023, Satara saree showroom robbery. Khan is alleged to have raised funds and facilitated the purchase of firearms used in the heist, in which Rs 1 lakh was looted and the perpetrators escaped on a motorcycle. He is the fourth individual to be arrested in the case. Officials said the stolen proceeds were reportedly channelled to finance ISIS-linked terror activities.

Sources said that during custody, Khan made several significant disclosures aiding the investigation. Following his statements, the ATS conducted search operations on Thursday. The individuals whose premises were searched are under ATS scrutiny and are believed to be close associates of Khan. Some suspects were reportedly in contact with him during the two years he was absconding and are believed to have been involved, directly or indirectly, in radicalisation and providing logistical support to the ISIS-linked terror module.

Investigations by NIA and ATS revealed that Khan, along with co-accused Fayaz Shaikh, played a key role in raising funds for the Pune ISIS terror module and in organising a secret IED workshop in Pune’s Kondhwa area in April 2022.During this workshop, members of the ISIS module allegedly fabricated and tested improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The session was reportedly attended by several accused, including Zulfikar Barodawala, Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Abdul Kadir Pathan, Simab Kazi, Shamil Nachan, Akif Nachan, and Shahnawaz Alam, among others.The suspects were reportedly involved in radicalisation, recruitment and fabrication of explosive devices as part of a larger terror conspiracy.

The plot, which could have posed a serious threat to national security, came to light in 2023 when Pune police detained two suspects from Kothrud in a bike theft case after searches of their residence and subsequent investigation revealed their alleged links to ISIS operatives, leading to the case being transferred to the Maharashtra ATS and later to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Officials said Khan and Fayaz Sheikh went underground after the Pune ISIS module was dismantled in 2022. Between July and August that year, the duo left India with their families, reportedly seeking employment in Oman. After being declared wanted by Indian agencies, Omani authorities ordered them to leave the country or face deportation. The pair then traveled to Iran, where they were detained on December 8, 2024, and interrogated for five months until May 5, 2025. In the following days, they reached Indonesia but were initially denied entry. While attempting to return to India secretly from Jakarta in May 2025, they were intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai International Airport (T2) and subsequently taken into NIA custody.

The ATS has said that the investigation into Khan’s network is ongoing, Further questioning and analysis of the seized digital evidence are expected to provide more leads in the case.

Vasai: The suicide of two teenagers in Virar has taken a significant turn. While it has been confirmed that one of the teenagers committed suicide due to a broken heart, the mystery surrounding his friend’s death persists. Police have suggested two possibilities: that he either took his life in solidarity with his friend or that he lost his balance and fell while attempting to save him.

The incident occurred on Monday night when two friends, Sham Ghorai (20) and Aditya Singh (21), jumped from the 16th floor of an under-construction building in Bolinj, Virar. The two were close friends who resided in Achole, Nalasopara, and were studying at Rahul International College. The case initially became more complex due to allegations of murder from the parents, who claimed that their sons were pushed off the building.

During the investigation, police found a suicide note written by Sham inside a book at his home. In the note, he revealed that he was in love with a girl who was in a relationship with someone else, and that this was the reason for his depression and subsequent suicide.

With Sham’s motive confirmed, the question of why Aditya also jumped has been raised. Police have not yet found a concrete reason for Aditya’s death. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Suhas Bawche, there are two possibilities: that he may have taken his own life out of loyalty to his friend, or that he might have fallen while trying to save Sham. Bawche has clarified that foul play has been ruled out and no third party is believed to be involved.

New Delhi, Oct 9: The Supreme Court has expressed shock at the status of criminal trials in Maharashtra, having found that hundreds of cases have been pending for framing of charges for over a decade — some dating back as far as 2006.

“Registrar General of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay has filed an affidavit annexing certain documents which we have perused. To say the least, it is a reflection of a very shocking state of affairs, insofar as the conduct of trials before different Courts in the State of Maharashtra is concerned,” observed a Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh, taking note of the affidavit filed by the Registrar General of the Bombay High Court.

The Justice Kant Bench said that despite the filing of charge sheets, trials in at least 649 cases across Maharashtra have not proceeded beyond the stage of framing charges.

“The said affidavit reveals that there are at least 649 cases in which charges are yet to be framed, despite filing of the charge sheets, in certain cases, way back in the year 2006, 2013, 2014 and onwards till the year 2020. The reasons assigned for delay are multiple, including, and most significantly, in almost every trial, either non-production of the accused or non-appearance of the advocate, be it the prosecutor or the defence,” it observed.

Noting that the petitioner has been languishing in jail for over four years without charges being framed, though the charge sheet in his case was filed in July 2021, the apex court said: “The petitioner has been in jail for more than 4 years since 11.04.2021, and today his status remains the same as it was on day one of his incarceration. Charges would have to be framed, the process of trial would take its own time, and by the time a final conclusion is reached, he would have remained behind bars for many years on end.”

The Supreme Court has directed the Registrar General of the High Court to obtain detailed reports from each District and Sessions Judge regarding the steps taken to ensure the timely framing of charges and compliance with earlier circulars on the production of undertrial prisoners either physically or virtually, as per the stage of trial.

The matter will now be heard next on October 17, with the Supreme Court seeking a comprehensive compliance affidavit. “The Registrar General shall also apprise the learned Chief Justice of the High Court of the passing of this order,” it said.