Investigators are zeroing on the suspicious social media communications of Khatri and Sadiya. (File)
The NIA on Sunday arrested two persons from Pune, including 20-year-old woman Sadiya Anwar Shaikh, a resident of Vishrantwadi, who was on the radar of police and intelligence units since 2015 for her alleged links with the Islamic State (IS).
The second suspect arrested from Pune has been identified as Nabeel Siddiqui Khatri (28). Sources confirmed to The Indian Express that both were placed under arrest by a team of NIA, Delhi, late on Sunday. Sources said a team from Maharashtra Police accompanied the NIA team for logistic support.
Sources also said that the two suspects from Pune were held by the NIA in connection with the case of arrest of a Kashmiri couple in March for their alleged links with the IS.
Officials said the Kashmiri couple was first arrested in March by Delhi Police alleging that they had links to Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP), the Afghanistan-based faction of the IS. Investigators have claimed that the couple was involved in exploiting the unrest among the Muslim youth against the CAA.
Investigators are zeroing on the suspicious social media communications of Khatri and Sadiya.
It may be recalled that Sadiya has been on the radar of investigating agencies since 2015. While no offence was lodged against her in Maharashtra, the state ATS had in December 2015 provided counselling to her as she was found mentally set to go to Syria for joining the IS, after being influenced by the online operatives of the terror groups.
On January 26, 2018, Sadiya was put under arrest by the Jammu and Kashmir police due to her suspicious activities, but was later released due to lack of evidence and handed over to her family. Then in February same year, she had held a press conference in Pune saying “she had gone to Jammu and Kashmir to secure admission in a nursing course at a local college.”