New Delhi: A Delhi court granted the Delhi Police Special Cell 14-day police custody for three ISIS operatives, including the arrested terrorist Shahnawaz Alam. The accused were presented before a special judge at his residence hours after Shahnawaz’s arrest for his alleged involvement with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.
Judge Hardeep Kaur ordered that Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf, Mohammad Arshad Warsi, and Shahnawaz be placed in police custody. The three accused will be presented before the court on October 16 for further proceedings.
Shahnawaz was arrested in Jaitpur, South Delhi, earlier today. He had a reward of Rs 3 lakh on his arrest and was also on the NIA’s most wanted list. All three arrested accused were wanted for their involvement in the Pune ISIS case.
The police reported that during the initial interrogation, it was discovered that all three accused extensively surveyed locations in the Western Ghats of southern India, such as Hubballi, Dharwad, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, in order to set up their hideouts.
Addressing a media briefing, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HS Dhaliwal said, “Last month NIA declared award on three persons who have alleged involvement in blasts cases. Of them, Mohammad Shahnawaz, the main accused, has been arrested with his two associates– Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf and Mohammad Arshad Warsi.”
Dhaliwal also reported that bomb-making literature and other incriminating materials were discovered in Shahnawaz’s hideouts, which were allegedly sent by Pakistani handlers.
Earlier, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) unveiled images of four individuals suspected of involvement in the Pune ISIS module case. The NIA also assured that the informant’s identity would remain confidential.
Shahnawaz was briefly nabbed by Pune Police on July 18th while trying to steal a motorcycle in Kothrud, Pune.