The five terror suspects arrested by the National Investigation Agency in Hyderabad were on Thursday remanded to 14-days’ judicial custody and sent to Charapally Central Jail.
The NIA produced the five members of the terror module, busted on Wednesday before the NIA Special Court at Nampally amid tight security.
NIA said that the group was planning to target public places, including Hyderabad’s IT corridor, religious sites, sensitive Government buildings in various parts of the country.
later the NIA moved another petition before the court seeking their custody for further questioning, which will be taken up for hearing on Friday. Sources said that the NIA wants to shift them to New Delh on transit warrant for further questioning in view of the serious nature of the case.
During the searches, conducted with the assistance of the Hyderabad City Police, two 9 mm semi-automatic pistols with ammunition, an air gun with telescopic sight, chemicals used for making explosives, Rs15 lakh, six laptops and 40 mobile phones with 32 SIM cards were seized from their houses.
Sources said that the IT corridor housing several foreign companies and a Mall in Madhapur area, a religious place in the old city and a government building were among their possible targets.
The group had also planned to trigger communal riots in the city by placing animal parts in religious places and one of the suspect had placed order for the pieces of meat on Tuesday.
NIA had busted the terrorist module, believed to be in touch with the dreaded international terrorist organisation ISIS with the arrest of the five persons in the wee hour of Wednesday. They include Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani (30), Habeeb Mohammed (32), Mohammed Ilyas Yazdani (24), Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Amoodi alias Fahad (31) and Muzaffar Hussain Rizwan (29).
NIA said it raided ten houses in different parts of Hyderabad during the operation and picked up 11 persons for questioning. While five were later formally arrested on the charges of waging war against the Government and possessing arms illegally, the other 6 youth were let off late in the night as nothing incriminating was found against them. In a Press release the NIA said that a case was registered against them on credible information that some youth hailing from Hyderabad and their accomplices had entered in to a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India by collecting weapons and explosive materials to commit terrorist acts. Though the earlier reports had said that they were in touch with the dreaded terrorist organisation ISIS, the Press release did not name any organisation. "During preliminary examination it has been revealed that the terrorist gang was preparing IEDs for commission of terrorist acts and were being guided by an online handler suspected to be based in Iraq/Syria. Further investigation is being continued".
The chemicals found in their possession include suspected Urea/ammonium nitrate powder, and their mixture with sugar, bottles containing acid, Acetone, Hydrogen Peroxide. The raiding teams also recovered target boards meant for shooting practice.
NIA sources said that the group headed by Ibraheem Yazdani, a software engineer was under watch for the last three months and it was decided to take action on Wednesday as the group was about to carry out the attacks in the city in the next few days.
Those arrested include Ibraheem Yazdani's brother Ilyas Yazdani, a college drop out. A Pan kiosk near historic monument Charminar was the point of contact of the group members who had come in touch through social media, the sources said.
The sudden developments created a stir in the city, which was drowned in Ramazan festivities in a peaceful and harmonious situation.