Pan-India crackdown: NIA targets Jaish-e-Mohammad, arrests 1 and questions multiple suspects

In a massive pan-India crackdown against terrorists’ outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted searches at 26 locations in five states and arrested one person and questioned several suspects involved in motivating youth into committing violent terror attacks across the country, according to an official statement.

Sheikh Sultan Salah Uddin Ayubi alias Ayubi was taken into custody after searches at 26 locations in Assam, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, it said.

The accused was arrested on account of his incriminatory role in the conspiracy case, said the statement issued by NIA.

He will be produced before the NIA special court, Patiala House, New Delhi, it added.

In addition, “several other suspects” have also been rounded up for questioning, NIA said.

The suspects were engaged in radicalising individuals associated with Pakistan-based JeM and were engaged in disseminating terrorist related propaganda, and “radicalising and recruiting youth into the Jamaat outfit” inspired by it, it said.

These suspects were involved in motivating the youth into committing violent terror attacks across India, NIA investigations have revealed, according to the statement.

The premises searched by NIA were located in Goalpara (Assam), Aurangabad, Jalna and Malegaon in Maharashtra, Meerut and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Baramulla, Pulwama and Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir.

During the searches, NIA teams seized several incriminating documents, electronic devices, pamphlets and magazines. These are being examined for further leads and evidence against the suspects whose premises were searched on Saturday, the anti-terror agency said, adding the investigations in the case are continuing.