Agency also seizes documents after fifth arrest from Maharashtra in connection with terror module.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Thursday arrested a Pune-based doctor for his alleged links to ISIS — the fifth person to be arrested by the central agency from Maharashtra in connection with the terror module case.
The doctor, identified by the NIA as Adnanali Sarkar (43), is a resident of Kondhwa and a consulting anaesthetist at a top private hospital in Pune.
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In a statement issued on Thursday, the NIA said, “Dr Adnanali Sarkar (43) was arrested following raids from Kondhwa in Pune. The NIA seized several incriminating materials, such as electronic gadgets and several documents related to the ISIS, during searches at Sarkar’s Kondhwa house. The material exposed the accused’s allegiance with the ISIS and his role in promoting the outfit’s violent agenda by motivating and recruiting vulnerable youth.”
“The accused had hatched a conspiracy to further ISIS terrorist activities… NIA probe has revealed that Sarkar was trying to disturb the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country, and wage a war against the Government of India as part of the ISIS conspiracy through the organisation’s Maharashtra ISIS module,” the statement added.
The NIA also listed the different names for the ISIS such as Islamic State (IS), Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), Daish, Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K). The agency added that it will continue to probe the “Maharashtra ISIS module” case to unravel all the full contours of the conspiracy.
According to Sarkar’s colleagues, he completed his MBBS in 2001 from B J Medical College in Pune and MD in anaesthesiology in 2006 from the same government-run institution. “He also published several research papers in medical journals. Dr Sarkar has worked in top hospitals in Pune and Mumbai,” a colleague said.
Earlier on July 3, following extensive raids by the NIA in Mumbai, Thane and Pune the agency had arrested Tabish Nasser Siddiqui from Nagpada in Mum-bai, Zubair Noor Mohammed Shaikh alias Abu Nusaiba from Kondhwa in Pune, and Sharjeel Shaikh and Zulfikar Ali Barod-awala from Padgha in Thane.
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According to sources, Sarkar allegedly has “close links” to Zubair Shaikh alias Abu Abu Nusaiba, who has worked as IT engineer in the past and lost his job three-four years ago. Shaikh had been doing small businesses since then and was also simultaneously applying and interviewing for various jobs, according to his family members.
Following the arrest of four persons, the agency had said four accused had allegedly shared among themselves materials including ‘Do it Yourself’ (DIY) kits for fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices and manufacturing of small weapons, pistols, etc.
Further, on the directions of their foreign-based ISIS handlers, the accused had also allegedly created inflammatory media content, which was published in the magazine ‘Voice of Hind’, in furtherance of the banned outfit’s agenda of terror and violence, agency had said.
First published on: 27-07-2023 at 17:23 IST
