ISIS Kerala module case: NIA conducts raids in J-K’s Srinagar

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted searches in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar in the ISIS Kerala module case and seized several digital devices.

The raids were conducted at the house of one Uzair Azhar Bhat in Srinagar’s Karfali Mohalla. Bhat is suspected to have been part of the conspiracy. In 2021, the NIA said, it had started investigations into Mohammed Ameen alias Abu Yahya, a resident of Kerala’s Mallapuram.

The agency said Yahya had been running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms, such as Telegram, Hoop, and Instagram. Through these channels, he was propagating violent Jihadi ideologies of ISIS and was radicalizing and recruiting new members to this ISIS module. He and his associates had even identified certain individuals for targeted killings.
They had also made plans to undertake Hijrah to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts and had raised funds from various sources for this trip.

During the probe, the NIA said, it was found that Mohammad Ameen was in touch with Deepthi Marla of Kerala, a converted Muslim married to Anas Abdul Rahiman of Mangalore.

In 2015, the anti-terror agency said, Deepthi Marla had gone to Dubai to pursue studies where she met Mizha Siddeeque and both women developed an inclination towards ISIS.

“In 2019, they tried to do Hijrah to Khorasan and reached Tehran, Iran. After reaching Tehran, their contact with ISIS operatives based in Khorasan could not be established.”

They both returned to India, and Deepthi Marla got in touch with Ameen, Obaid Hamid Matta, Madesh Shankar alias Abdullah, and others and made plans to undertake Hijrah to ISIS-administered territory, said the NIA.

In January 2020, the NIA further said, Deepthi Marla went to Srinagar in January 2020 to meet Obaid to plan the Hijrah and stayed in Srinagar for one week.

One of the common contacts between Deepthi Marla and Obaid was Uzair Azhar Bhat, whose house was raided by the NIA today, said the agency, adding the seized digital devices from the residence of Bhat are being examined and further investigations are in progress.

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