NIA arrests nine more IS suspects across India, 14 now in custody

New Delhi, Jan 23  Nine more suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) terror outfit have been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in cooperation with state police forces across India to take to 14 those in custody, a NIA official said on Saturday.

The raids, which have continued since Thursday evening, were conducted at 12 locations in six cities and in the latest development, the agency arrested nine more suspected IS members, taking the total number of those arrested to 14.

"On the basis of information revealed in the interrogation of five accused people, another nine accused people have been arrested from various locations in different cities," said an NIA official.

The arrested men are Sayed Mujahid, 33, resident of Karnataka, Mohammad Aleem, 20, Lucknow, Mohammed Obedullah Khan, 33, and Abu Anas, 24, Hyderabad, Asif Ali alias Arman Saani, 21, Suhail Ahmed, 23, Muhammed Abdul Ahad, 46, Bengaluru, Mohammad Hussain Khan, 36, Mumbai, and Imran Khan Pathan from Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

The NIA said the arrested people will be produced before the concerned courts for obtaining transit remand and further interrogation and investigation will continue, said the official.

Informed sources said all the raids at 12 locations in six cities were conducted on tip-offs that the IS sympathisers were planning bomb attacks in several cities on Republic Day (January 26).

The raids were conducted in Bengaluru, Tumkur in Karnataka and Mangalore in Karnataka, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

Incriminating documents, mobiles, laotops and unaccounted cash and material used in making bombs were seized during the raids. Huge quantities of arms and ammunition were seized from the rented house of two of the suspects in Bengaluru, an official told IANS on Friday.

On Friday, NIA arrested five suspected IS members and nine others were detained. Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, Mohammad Nafees Khan, Mohammad Shareef Mounuddin Khan, Najmul Huda and Mohammad Afzal, arrested on Friday are accused of encouraging the youth to join the IS.

Home Ministry Joint Secretary (Internal Security) had said all suspects are "radicalised youths" and more information would come out once ongoing investigations are over.