The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted searches at 10 locations of the accused persons at Muthupet, Keelakarai, Devipattinam, Lalpet and Salem in connection with investigation of the Keelakarai case, related to conspiracy to procure arms for their terrorist gang, raise funds to wage armed struggle, facilitate escape of terrorists from jail and wage war against the country.
During the searches, the NIA seized a number of digital devices including three laptops, three hard discs, 16 mobile phones, eight SIM cards, two pen drives, five memory cards and one card reader besides two knives and a large number of incriminating documents.
"The case relates to a group of ten persons from different parts of Tamil Nadu who had formed a WhatsApp group named "SHAHADAT IS OUR GOAL". In 2018, they conspired together to procure arms for their terrorist gang, to raise funds to wage armed struggle, to facilitate the escape of terrorists from jail and to propagate their ideology, to act against the State, the NIA said in a statement.
The case was initially registered on April 2, 2018 at Keelakarai police station of Ramanathapuram district of Tamilnadu, under Crime No. 46/2018 under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act 1959 against ten accused, out of which nine accused were arrested earlier. One accused is still absconding. Later, all the 9 arrested accused were released on bail by the Court.
IPC sections relating to criminal conspiracy, religious or sectarian incitement apart from the UA (P)A sections relating to waging war against the country for violation of the Arms Act.
During the last few years, South India has emerged as a major hub for transnational radicalisation groups that are working at the behest of international terrorist groups like the Al Qaeda and ISIS. Various new forms of recruitment methods are adopted by such groups including through virtual technologies like social media and also through an organization like Street Dawah that seeks to attract the gullible youths to its fold by imparting radicalized sermons on Islam.