Hyderabad Terror Links With Country-Wide Modules Not New

In a major anti-terror swoop across the country, 14 youths were arrested or detained by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other security agencies during the last week, after they allegedly formed a module on the pattern of dreaded ISIS to carry out strikes at vital installations.

The 14 people were arrested or detained during the raids which were carried out simultaneously in five states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. They were part of a group named ‘Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind’ (Army of Caliph of India), a terror group which has almost similar ideologies that of ISIS. The sources privy to the developments in Mumbai and Bangalore said that eight people were detained besides the five arrests while one person has been let off.

Hyderabad Terror Links With Country-Wide Modules Not New (3)

It is not the first time that youngsters from Hyderabad and parts of Telangana are linked with a country-wide network of terror suspects. But this 8-member module of terror suspects from the city is the new sign on Telangana-Hyderabad terror map.

While Nafeez Khan, Obedullah Khan, Mohd Sharif Moinuddin and Abu Anas were arrested, two of their associates -Kadir and Harshad- had already joined the Islamic State. The duo is believed be in Syria fighting on behalf of the IS. Two other members of this new group – planning to carry out attacks envisaged by the IS are absconding. They were identified as Faizan and Arfan from Mallepally and Humanyunnagar localities.

Not all the eight members were from same background. Nafeez stopped studies after passing 10th standard and had worked as auto-rickshaw driver for some time. Nafeez’s curiosity to browse Interent introduced him to websites encouraging youngsters to join IS. Obedullah Khan was into servicing computers while Kadir and Harshad were working with a software company after completing their graduation.

Youngsters from Telangana and Hyderabad getting attracted to terror outfits began nearly two decades ago. Beginning with Tanzeem Islah-ul-Muslimeen to Students Islamic Movement of India to Lashkar-e-Taiba to Indian Mujahideen, they have operatives or sympathisers from Hyderabad or Telangana. Even Hizbul Mujahideen, another terror outfit, had operatives in Hydearbad.

Tanzeem Islah-ul-Muslimeen, started by Abdul Kareem Tunda and Zaleel Ansari, carried out a string of blasts in 1993 in Mumbai and Hyderabad protesting against Babri masjid demolition. This outfit had cadre from the then united Andhra Pradesh, Bidar and Gulbarga of Karntaka and Mumbai of Maharashtra. Some officers say the seeds for present-day ‘jihadi terror groups’ were sown by this outfit.

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) too had tried to spread its tentacles in Hyderabad. One of its operatives, Salim Junaid, a Pakistan national, was caught in Hyderabad on the charge of conspiring to trigger bomb attacks in the city.

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