NIA offers Rs 3 lakh reward for help to capture suspected ISIS terrorist

Shivamogga: Stepping up its efforts to nab 26-year-old Abdul Matheen Taahaa, a native of Theerthahalli in Shivamogga district, who is suspected of having links with the terrorist organisation ISIS, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh to those who help in apprehending him.
In its statement released to the press on Wednesday, NIA said that Taahaa’s family resides at Fish Market in Soppugudde in Theerthahalli town. The agency suspects him of being involved with Al-Hind, an ISIS-backed terrorist group formed by Mehboob Pasha, who was arrested along with Khaja Moideen recently. Tahaa and the duo are suspects in the murder of a Hindu leader in Tamil Nadu.
Pasha had conducted several meetings with members of Al-Hind at his Bengaluru residence in 2019, which was attended by Taahaa. He reportedly had plans to dispatch radicalised youngsters to join the ranks of ISIS in Afghanistan and Syria. Thus far, NIA has nabbed 12 individuals with alleged links to the organisation.
“Tahaa is a friend of Saleem and Zaid, who were arrested previously. NIA launched an operation in Theerthahalli to nab Taahaa. We quizzed Tahaa’s parents. However, their neighbours said that they had not seen him around the town and said that the face in his photograph appeared unfamiliar,” said an NIA official.
Shivamogga deputy commissioner KB Sivakumar said that it was an NIA operation through-and-through, adding that the district administration had no role to play.