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Synopsis

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday i.e. July 4, filed a chargesheet before Special Court, Kolkata against two hardcore ISIS members involved in promoting the proscribed organisation’s terrorist activities.

The two chargesheeted accused are Md. Saddam @MohammadSaddam @Saddam Mallick @ Abdul Malliack and Abdul Rakib Qureshi @Abdul Raqib Qureshi @Qureshi.They have been chargesheeted under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The duo were arrested by Special Task Force (STF) Kolkata on January 6, this year for hatching a conspiracy against the Government of India by collecting arms & ammunition as well as explosives, and recruiting Muslim youth for carrying out terrorist activities for the ISIS in India and abroad. The STF Kolkata had initially registered an FIR and NIA had taken over the case a month later, on February 6, and thereafter registered the case again.

“A large quantity of incriminating material, used for propaganda and radicalisation on behalf of ISIS, was seized from the two accused. They had been using this material to recruit and train impressionable Muslim youth into the ISIS fold, as the investigations by NIA have revealed. Abdul Rakib Qureshi was  also convicted earlier for life in a UA(P)A case for his acts of terror and association with SIMI, another proscribed organisation”, the NIA press release stated.

The agency’s investigation further stated that the two men had knowingly associated themselves with ISIS with the intent to further its activities. Md. Saddam entered into a criminal conspiracy with Abdul Rakib Qureshi to recruit people, target prominent personalities and also to send the recruits abroad for executing ISIS led terror actions & activities. “The duo used various encrypted social media platforms for communication, in order to hide their terror related activities and evade detection by the law enforcement agencies”, the press release stated.