The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Gujarat): The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested four Sri Lankan nationals linked to the banned outfit Islamic State (IS), who were allegedly on a mission to carry out terror activities in India, police said on Monday.
Acting on a tip-off, the ATS apprehended the accused at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad after they traveled from Colombo via Chennai on Sunday night, according to an official. The men had come to India to execute terror activities at the behest of IS, stated Director General of Police Vikas Sahay.
The ATS team recovered three Pakistan-made pistols and 20 cartridges abandoned in the city’s Nana Chiloda area based on geo-coordinates and photographs found on the mobile phones seized from the accused. These men were allegedly instructed by their Pakistani handler to collect these weapons.
The accused are Mohammad Nusrat (35), Mohammad Faarukh (35), Mohammad Nafran (27), and Mohammad Rasdeen (43). They took a flight from Colombo and reached Chennai early Sunday morning before taking another flight to Ahmedabad, where they arrived around 8 pm on Sunday.
Investigations revealed that the men were previously associated with the banned Sri Lankan radical militant outfit, National Thowheeth Jamath (NJT), and later joined IS after connecting with Pakistani handler Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. These individuals were radicalized by a Sri Lankan leader living in Pakistan.
“They got in touch with Abu (the IS leader in Pakistan) in February this year and remained in contact with him through social media and were completely radicalized by the ideology,” Sahay said. The leader instructed them to carry out terrorist activities in India, to which they agreed and even showed readiness for suicide bombings. They were paid Rs 4 lakh in Sri Lankan currency for their mission.
Mobile phones recovered from the accused had photographs and documents showing their association with IS. An IS flag was found in their bag, and two such flags were recovered from the abandoned parcel containing weapons. The men were instructed to leave these flags at the site of their terror activities.
Sahay mentioned that the ATS used a translator to interrogate the accused, as they only spoke Tamil. During the interrogation, it was revealed that Abu had informed them about the weapons hidden in Ahmedabad for their use. The pistols carried star marks, and the cartridges were identified as being made in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) of Pakistan. Additionally, one of the arrested terrorists, Mohammad Nusrat, holds a valid visa for Pakistan.
The men were booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Indian Penal Code, and Arms Act, and further investigation is underway.