NIA makes one more arrest in 'ISIS-linked' case

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the case relating to IS-inspired module based in Delhi and UP, late on Friday arrested another accused who had travelled to Jammu & Kashmir in May and August 2018 to arrange for weapons and training of the module.

The accused, Muhammad Absar, resident of Jasora, Meerut, is a Quran teacher at Jamia Husania Abul Hassan in Hapur. He had visited Tral twice along with Saqib Iftekar, arrested on December 26, 2018, to meet a local contact, a moulvi. The two sought help of the moulvi, who was known to Iftekar to connect to a Kashmiri 'mujahideen' who could help them procure weapons and also impart arms training.

The moulvi connected them with a person, who the two accused met and spoke for arranging weapons and training. While the NIA has examined the moulvi based in Tral, it is still verifying antecedents of the other person. Following Absar's arrest, NIA on Saturday carried out searches at three locations in Meerut and Hapur with the support of the Uttar Pradesh Police.

An NIA official said Absar was arrested as he was member of the ISIS-inspired 'Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam' module busted in Delhi and Amroha and "part of the conspiracy to attack vital security establishments and prominent persons ". Twelve accused have been held so far.