A joint team of Intelligence Bureau, NIA and Delhi Police arrested an Islamic State Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operative from Lohardaga district. The youth identified as Faizan Ansari is a student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and was presently living at his residence in Lohardaga. The investigative agency arrested 19-year-old Faizan Ansari after conducting searches at his house and his rented accommodation in two different states.
The searches were conducted on July 16 and 17 in the Lohardaga district of Jharkhand and a rented room in UP's Aligarh. Few days back the joint team conducted a raid at New Road under Sadar police station area of Lohardaga district and arrested him. Sources said that the arrested ISIS operative was also in contact with Pakistan’s intelligence agency. Other items, including a pen drive and several objectionable videos have been recovered from the possession of the arrested terrorist.
On Thursday, he was brought to Ranchi from Lohardaga amidst heavy security and presented in the special NIA court. After this he was sent to jail. Intelligence agencies, according to a police source, are trying to arrest other supporters of the ISIS terrorist organization as well. The team has taken the terrorist to Delhi for further questioning. Intelligence agencies are trying to ensure the kind of activities conducted by the terrorist while staying there. The interrogation of the arrested terrorist is going on.
The intelligence agencies are also questioning the people who came in contact with the arrested terrorist. They are also engaged in arresting many other people in Lohardaga and for that evidence are being collected.
Many video clips, pen drives along with much evidence of contact with Pakistani intelligence agencies have been found from it. It is alleged that he was working to involve many youths in terrorist activities. The house of accused Faizan is locked from inside and his family members are refraining from speaking anything.
Faizan had hatched a criminal conspiracy, along with his associates and other unknown individuals, through a social media platform to support ISIS activities in India.
The agency claimed Faizan was engaged in disseminating the outfit’s propaganda over various social media platforms, which was aimed at carrying out “violent terror attacks” in India on behalf of ISIS.
Fziaan -- according to the agency -- was actively involved in radicalising neo-converts and attracting them to the terrorist fold for “enriching the cadre base of ISIS in India.
He was also in contact with the foreign-based ISIS handlers, who were guiding him in the recruitment process.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Babulal Marandi has expressed shock and displeasure on the arrest of ISIS operative from state. Marandi said the morale of anti-national terrorist forces has increased in Jharkhand in the last three years. The districts of Santhal Pargana region including Lohardaga, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, in the state have become the refuge of such terrorist organizations and infiltrators.
He said that an attempt was made to vitiate and disturb the atmosphere in Lohardaga through sponsored riots in the past but the state government was indulging in appeasement policy. He said that this government believes in taking action only on the police officer who gave the report of sleeper cell in Lohardaga.He said that to the infiltrators, the standard of living and culture of the indigenous, tribal society of the state is getting affected. Rapid changes are taking place in the demography of the state which is dangerous and frightening for the state. Marandi said that NRC will be implemented if the BJP government is formed in the state.
