New Delhi, 9th December 2023
In a massive crackdown on ISIS, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested 15 operatives of the banned terror outfit during multiple and widespread raids across Maharashtra and Karnataka.

NIA teams swooped down on as many as 44 locations in Padgha-Borivali, Thane, Mira Road and Pune in Maharashtra, and Bengaluru in Karnataka early this morning, and apprehended the 15 accused for promoting terror and terror related acts and activities of the proscribed organisation.

Huge amounts of unaccounted cash, firearms, sharp edged weapons, incriminating documents, smart phones and other digital devices were seized during the raids, conducted as part of NIA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt and demolish the attempts of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to carry out violent acts of terror and take innocent lives.

The accused, operating on the directions of their foreign handlers, had been actively involved in various terrorist activities, including fabrication of IEDs, for furthering the violent and destructive agenda of the ISIS, as per NIA investigations.

NIA investigations have further revealed that the accused, all members of ISIS Maharashtra module, were operating from Padgha-Borivali, where they had hatched the conspiracy to spread terror and carry out acts of violence across India. Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, ISIS etc., the accused had aimed to disturb the peace and communal harmony of the country and to wage a war against the Government of India.

Initial investigations have revealed that the arrested accused had self-declared the village of Padgha in rural Thane as a ‘liberated zone’ and as ‘Al Sham’. They were motivating impressionable Muslim youth to relocate in Padgha from their place of residence for strengthening the Padgha base.

Saqib Nachan, the main accused and the leader and head of the ISIS module, was also administering the ‘bayath’ (oath of allegiance to the Khalifa of ISIS ) to the persons joining the proscribed organisation.

ISIS is a Global Terror Organisation (GTG) , also known as Islamic State (IS) / Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) / Daish / Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) / ISIS Wilayat Khorasan/Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K)). The outfit has been spreading its terror network in India by putting in place localized ISIS modules and cells in various States of the country.

NIA has, in recent months, conducted large-scale raids and busted different ISIS modules by arresting several terror operatives in the ISIS terror conspiracy case in a bid to scuttle the organisation’s heinous and violent anti-India agenda. As part of its efforts towards that end, the agency had registered a case against the ISIS Maharashtra module earlier this year and has, since then, undertaken strong and concerted actions to destroy the various ISIS modules and networks operating across the country.

After crores of rupees were recovered from Congress MP Dheeraj Kumar Sahu’s premises in Odisha and Jharkhand during raids by the Income Tax (I-T) department, BJP workers staged protest at multiple locations in India against Congress MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu over the recovery of unaccounted money worth Rs 200 crore from him during the Income Tax raids. High Voltage drama was witnessed as a large number of people gathered in protest against Dhiraj Prasad Sahu.

Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore questions linking of Sahu family’s business with Congress

Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore on Saturday questioned the linking of a business of Sahu family with the Congress. “Why Mr PM is doing this cheap politics linking a business of Sahu family with Congress? Some facts about Dheeraj Sahu. Sahu family has been in the country liquor business for 40 years. Dheeraj Prasad Sahu’s relatives have a big liquor business in Odisha,” Manickam Tagore said in a post on ‘X’.

Explaining the business of the Sahu family, Tagore said that Baldev Sahu and Group of Companies are originally from the Lohardaga district of Jharkhand.

“The company started making country liquor in Odisha 40 years ago,” he said adding that the company is a partnership firm of Buddhist Distillery Private Limited (BDPL).

“This company also has Baldev Sahu Infra Private Limited, Quality Bottlers Private Limited and Kishore Prasad Vijay Prasad Beverage Private Limited,” Tagore said.

Dheeraj Kumar Sahu’s background

Speaking about Dheeraj Kumar Sahu who got raided by the Income Tax department, the senior Congress leader said, “Dheeraj Sahu, a three-time Rajya Sabha MP, contested the Lok Sabha elections twice. Apart from MP Dheeraj Prasad Sahu, many of his family members are included in Baldev Sahu and Group…born on 23 November 1959 in his ancestral home in Lohardaga. Dheeraj Sahu, brother of Late Shiv Prasad Sahu, who was the Lok Sabha MP from Ranchi, has been a Rajya Sabha MP for three consecutive terms. For the first time, he became a Rajya Sabha MP in June 2009. And in 2018 he again got elected as MP and he declared 34 crores as his worth.”

On the money that has been recovered, the photo of which was shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘X’ post, Tagore said, “Now a Sahu who is into country liquor business got IT raid, a business group had 200 crores cash they have to explain about the money.”

200 crores worth cash seized

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to ‘X’ to share a screenshot of a media report which reported that Congress MP Dheeraj Kumar Sahu’s residences are being raided and so far 200 crores worth of cash has been seized.

“Countrymen should look at the pile of these notes and then listen to the honest ‘speeches’ of their leaders…Every penny of what has been looted from the public should be returned. This is Modi’s guarantee,” the Prime Minister had posted on ‘X’ with multiple emojis.

The raids were conducted at Boudh Distilleries Private Limited (BDPL) and entities linked to it in Odisha and Jharkhand. Baldev Sahu Infra Pvt Ltd., which is a group company of Boudh Distilleries covered in the search, is linked to Dheeraj Sahu. The raids were conducted at Bolangir and Sambalpur in Odisha and Ranchi and Lohardaga in Jharkhand, according to Income Tax sources

On Friday, the Indian Navy, in collaboration with defense, state, and civil agencies, conducted a joint exercise named ‘Prasthan’ in the Offshore Development Area off Mumbai. This biannual exercise aims to validate and enhance measures and procedures for responding to contingencies on oil production platforms in the region.

The exercise took place on the R12A (Ratna) platform of ONGC, situated approximately 45 nautical miles west of Mumbai harbor, spanning two phases from the early hours of Friday until late night. The first phase focused on testing security protocols for emergencies such as terrorist attacks and bomb threats from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, based in Mumbai, and also the Commander-in-Chief (Coastal Defence), West, activated the contingency plan. A Crisis Management Committee, comprising senior officials from defense, state, and civilian agencies, gathered at the Indian Navy’s Operation Centre for a coordinated response to potential emergencies.

During the first phase, the Crisis Management Group evaluated various aspects of emergencies and initiated coordinated actions according to established Standard Operating Procedures. The Indian Navy, in conjunction with the Indian Air Force, deployed anti-sabotage teams to neutralize security threats on the oil platform.

The exercise’s initial phase involved actions to counter contingencies such as terrorist intrusions, bomb threats, man overboard incidents, medical evacuation of platform crew, and oil spills. The second phase focused on responding to contingencies like fires on the oil platform and assisting a disabled vessel in the offshore development area.

Several ships and helicopters from the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, ONGC, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the Director General of Shipping participated. Personnel from Maharashtra Police, Customs, Fisheries Department, Mumbai Port Authorities, JN Port Authorities, India Meteorological Department, and other relevant state and central civilian agencies were also actively involved.

The exercise was conducted in a synergistic and coordinated manner, providing a realistic setting to assess the preparedness of all agencies involved. A thorough analysis of the activities will be undertaken to refine existing procedures and identify areas that require further strengthening and improvement.