NIA files chargesheet against 12 in fake SIM card case

New Delhi, June 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against 12 accused in connection with its probe into the Islamic State Chennai case related to fraudulent procurement and activation of SIM cards, which were used by terrorists for their activities in the country.

An NIA spokesperson in Delhi said that the anti-terror probe agency filed a chargesheet against 12 accused persons -- who have been arrested -- involved in the case related to fraudulent procurement and activation of SIM cards which were used by ISIS or Daish terrorists for their activities in India under Sections of IPC, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Arms Act.

The NIA named Pachaiyappan, 37, a resident of Kancheepuram district, Rajesh, 34, a resident of Chennai, Anbarasan T, 27, Abdul Rahiman, 44, Liyakath Ali, 29, all residents of Salem district in Tamil Nadu, Mohammed Haneef Khan, 29, Imran Khan, 32, Mohammed Zaid, 24, Ejaz Pasha, 46, Hussain Shariff, 33, Mahboob Pasha, 48, all residents of Bengaluru and Khaja Mohideen, 52, a resident of Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu.

The agency said that during investigation, it was revealed that after the release of the key conspirator and ISIS terrorist Khaja Mohideen on bail in a case relating to the murder of a Hindu leader from Central Prison, Puzhal, in February 2019, he conspired with one Liyakath Ali with the intention of furthering the activities of ISIS in India.

"They procured large number of SIM cards fraudulently activated by accused Pachaiyappan and Rajesh in Chennai and by Anbarasan and Abdul Rahman in Salem between September and December, 2019," the NIA spokesperson said.

Khaja Mohideen had radicalised his associates Mohammed Haneef Khan, Imran Khan, Mohammed Zaid, Ejaz Pasha, Hussain Shariff and Mahboob Pasha of Bengaluru on the violent extremist ideology of ISIS, and conspired with them to further the activities of the banned terror group in India.

He said in furtherance of the conspiracy, Mohideen and Pasha also procured through the co-conspirators, country-made fire arms and prohibited ammunition and forest camping equipment, pursuant to their intention to establish a province of ISIS in the forests of South India with a view to wage violent jihad on behalf of the global terror outfit.

The case was originally registered by Tamil Nadu Police on December 28, 2019, based on a complaint filed by the territorial sales manager, Airtel, Kancheepuram, alleging that some Airtel SIM cards were fraudulently activated using identity documents of various persons without their knowledge for unlawful gain. The NIA took over the probe in January this year.

The investigation revealed that the SIM cards were activated in Chennai and during subsequent probe, it was found that similar fraudulent activation of Vodafone SIM cards were also done in Salem.

The fraudulently activated SIM cards procured from Chennai and Salem were provided to Mohideen, who used them for communicating with his co-conspirators and terror associates and for procurement of illegal arms and ammunition for preparing and perpetrating ISIS related terror activities in India.

According to the NIA, during the probe it was also revealed that the men for whom the SIM cards were issued were members of an IS module and Liyakhat Ali was the link between the module and the gang involved in issuing SIM cards using fake documents.

In 2019, the NIA had arrested 14 people in Tamil Nadu in connection with the alleged Ansarulla terror outfit and had seized nine mobile phones, 15 SIM cards, seven memory cards, three laptops, five hard discs, six pen drives, two tablets and three CDs/ DVDs besides other alleged incriminating material from their possession.

Source: IANS