Pune ISIS Module: NIA charge sheet details how accused doctor brainwashed others

The National Investigation Agency NIA which cracked down on the ISIS module in Maharashtra last year revealed details about the accusedrsquos communication methods and their role in promoting the terror organisationrsquos ideology in India The charge sheet includes the names of highly educated individuals who zealously propagated terror through speeches on various platformsIn two separate NIA cases itrsquos been noted that the accused utilised different platforms with numerous calls between the arrested and the absconding ISIS Maharashtra module members The charge sheet also highlights instances where the accused communicated with ISIS handlers through emails pledging allegiance to the ISIS caliphateZulfikar Ali Barodawala the senior project manager who drew a salary of Rs 31 lakh per annum right Dr Adnan Ali Sarkar the Punebased anaesthesiologistThe NIA has filed charge sheets against 13 accused in both cases The first was initially investigated by the NIA while the other came to light after the Pune police arrested two bike thieves revealing their involvement as alleged absconding members of Ratlams AlSufa terror group which is linked with ISIS The Pune case initially handled by the ATS was later transferred to the NIA due to the broader international scope of the investigationHighly radicalisedAs per the charge sheet the accused were highly radicalised and intended to establish Sharia law in India In both cases connections in Thanersquos Padgha and Punersquos Kondhwa were identified where the accused allegedly pledged allegiance to the ISIS caliphate and communicated with ISIS handlers via email The NIA charge sheet also contains details about discussions on ISIS ideology in WhatsApp and Telegram groups among the accused with several chats and videos recovered during the investigationldquoThe social media accounts of accused persons viz Gmail Telegram Twitter Facebook and WhatsApp have revealed that they were using these platforms to communicate with each other and share information about their activities plans and funding organisations linked to ISIS and incriminating material related to violent jihad khilafat etcrdquo reads the charge sheetDoctorrsquos arrestOf the six accused chargesheeted in the first case Dr Adnan Ali Sarkar a 43yearold leading anaesthesiologist in Pune drew considerable attention According to the NIA chargesheet he used to deliver lectures in a Pune mosque in support of violent jihad the revival of the caliphate and hijra migration to the land of jihad sic under the guise of religious topics during dars lectures These seminars as per the charge sheet were also conducted at the Pune Central School PCS libraryShamil the son of former SIMI member and blast convict Saquib Nachan was also arrested by the NIA in the ISIS module caseThe charge sheet claims that several videos of lectures espousing ISIS ideology have been recovered from his phone ldquoTo destroy the mobile phone containing incriminating videos PDF files and PPTs he threw his device into muddy water in Bhairoba nullah Wanawari Pune before his arrest in July 2023 The same is evident from CCTV footage recovered from adjacent premises namely Om Sadabahar Complex Cooperative Housing Society Holay Vasti Wanarari Punerdquo reads the charge sheetAccording to the charge sheet electronic devices recovered during the search of Dr Sarkarrsquos house and hospital locker contained videos featuring firing and footage of bombings and militants giving speeches related to terrorist activities and clips put out by ISIS of Ahmad Musa Jibril an Islamic radical preacher concerning jihad numerous images related to violent jihad bayat oath of allegiance to a leader and ISIS terrorists with flags and several PDF files on khilafah and jihad a magazine on GhazwaeHind Indian subcontinent under Islamic rule information on topics like suicide martyrdom and legality of martyrdom operations and with various books on jihad Additionally Dr Sarkar was found frequently communicating with other accused through email and chatSenior project managerAnother startling arrest for the agency was that of Dr Sarkarrsquos brotherinlaw Zulfikar Ali Barodawala alias Lalabhai a senior project manager at a multinational company who drew an annual package of R31 lakh According to the chargesheet he had been a member of a WhatsApp group since 2015 where he posted and shared messages promoting ISIS ideology His role included encouraging vulnerable Muslim youths to join ISISEach accused had their own groups on social media where they promoted ISIS ideology and delivered lectures Representation PicThe charge sheet reveals that in 201516 Barodawala allegedly met friends at Ahmed Building Byculla delivering lectures where he asserted that Abu Bakr alBaghdadi the caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria was their Amirul Momineen Commander of the Faithful He advocated for Muslims to pledge allegiance to ISIS showcasing the Dabiq magazine and discussing ISIS ideology and activities in Iraq Syria and other controlled areas The NIA also alleges that he communicated with Abu Hamza a suspected ISIS handler via Telegram in 2021 The charge sheet mentions multiple visits to Padgha where he eventually shifted from Kondhwa believing Padgha to be equivalent to AlSham the Levant ie modernday Syria Lebanon Palestine Jordan Cyprus and Turkeyrsquos Hatay ProvinceNagpada residentAnother notable figure in the charge sheet is Tabish Nasser Siddiqui 24 a Nagpada resident An email of his to ISIS outlined the oath Barodawala and he undertook Siddiqui advocated for relocating to Padgha likening it to AlSham According to the charge sheet Siddiqui and Barodawala met in 2015 had extensive discussions about joining ISIS both took bayat and emailed ISIS at dabiqisindiacom on July 31 2016 He received a response from ISIS stating ldquoGood job update your contact details number and address we will be in touchrdquoAs per the NIA Siddiqui was highly radicalised ldquoAfter the death of Abu Bakr alBaghdadi he retook bayat on the new Khalifa of ISIS lsquoSheikh Amir al Muminin Khalifa tul Muslimin Abu Husayn Al Hind Al Qurashirdquo the charge sheet reads In December 2022 he shared the bayat with the official Telegram ID of ISIS The charge sheet claims he used a virtual number and network to communicate with ISIS handlers and other accused planning to migrate to Khurasan in Afghanistan as directed by handlersAs per the charge sheet he prepared content titled lsquoIstishadi martyrdom Operationrsquo On March 8 2023 he sent documents on this to a Telegram contact As per the charge sheet he had also shared a DIY kit file titled lsquoefficiencypdfrsquo to ISIS wherein he shared information about how to maximise the efficiency of explosive substances He also visited Kupwara in Kashmir in 2018 and stayed there for a week He allegedly sent an email to ISIS about the situation in the region and discussed establishing ISIS rule thereSenior associateZubair Noor Mohammed Shaikh an individual arrested from Kondhwa was employed as a senior associate with a leading tech company The charge sheet indicates that he was involved in promoting ISIS ideology and radicalising Muslim youths Additionally he was found in possession of CDs featuring Anwar alAwlaki a Muslim scholar killed in a 2011 drone strike by the US government in Yemen He also had several meetings with one Abdul Kader Pathan who was chargesheeted in the Pune case by the NIA He created a group called lsquoUnity in Muslim Ummahrsquo and promoted the ideology of ISIS and jihad and also used to lecture on the subjectPadgha connectionSharjeel Shaikh residing in Padgha worked in the network support team of a leading electronics company in Andheri He is a relative of Siddiqui Shaikh like his coaccused Barodawala was in direct contact with ISIS handler Abu Hamza through Telegram He too regarded Padgha as AlSham and advocated for everyone to relocate there According to the NIA Shaikh had several meetings with Shamil Nachan previously arrested by the NIA in another case in Padgha Shamil the son of former SIMI member and blast convict Saquib Nachan was also arrested by the NIA in the ISIS module case The NIA claims that Saquib is the leader of all the accused in the case having administered the rite of bayat He is also a member of the WhatsApp group lsquoMeemrsquo where he shared ISIS videos and expressed support for the group The agency claimed that he had given 176 to a Syriabased organisation called Merciful despite knowing that it was linked to ISISAakif Nachan another resident of Padgha is also accused in the Pune case He maintained contact with the accused in the first case through social media actively promoting ISIS ideology The NIA notes that some of his gadget reports from forensics are still awaitedThe NIA charged seven accused in the Pune case including Shamil The agency claimed that Shamil attended several meetings and found his links in the ISIS Maharashtra case According to the previous charge sheet handwritten notes of Shamil were discovered outlining details about making IEDs Besides Shamil Aakif and Barodawala are also accused in the Pune case playing similar roles in promoting ISIS ideology The Pune ISIS charge sheet includes the names of accused Yunus Saki and Imran Khan who were arrested by the Pune police during night patrolling The duo was attempting to steal a bike for potential terror activities The charge sheet also mentions Kader Pathan a graphic designer and Seemab Kazi a senior programmatic executive in a USbased companyThe current charge sheet highlights the connections between the accused in both cases through social media They actively worked towards propagating ISIS ideology in Maharashtra Each accused had their groups on social media where they promoted ISIS ideology and delivered lectures to radicalise Muslim youths The Pune accused allegedly carried out explosive training in the jungles of Maharashtra and were about to execute their plans in metro cities including Mumbai and had also rented a house in Pune to impart bombmaking training07No of people charged in Pune case