NIA Arrests ISIS Sleeper Cell Members at Mumbai Airport
In a significant operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two fugitives connected to an ISIS sleeper cell at Mumbai Airport. The suspects, Abdullah Fayaz Sheikh and Talha Khan, were wanted for their involvement in IED manufacturing in Pune. They were intercepted while returning from Indonesia, where they had been hiding. The NIA had previously issued non-bailable warrants against them and offered rewards for information leading to their capture. This arrest is part of a broader investigation into ISIS activities in India, with several other members already in custody. Discover the details of this operation and its implications for national security.
| May 17, 2025, 12:04 IST
NIA's Operation Leads to Arrests
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended two fugitives allegedly linked to the ISIS sleeper cell at Mumbai Airport. Officials reported this development on Saturday, May 17. The suspects were wanted in connection with a 2023 case involving the manufacturing and testing of IEDs in Pune, Maharashtra. Identified as Abdullah Fayaz Sheikh, also known as 'Diaperwala', and Talha Khan, the duo was intercepted by the immigration bureau at Terminal 2 of Mumbai International Airport while attempting to return to India from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had been hiding.
Details of the Arrest
According to a statement from the investigation agency, the NIA team took them into custody following their interception. The two had been on the run for over two years, and a non-bailable warrant had been issued against them by a special NIA court in Mumbai. The agency had also announced a cash reward of ₹3 lakh for information leading to their capture. The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy involving these individuals, and eight other members of the ISIS Pune sleeper cell have already been arrested and are in judicial custody.
ISIS's Agenda in India
The NIA stated that the suspects conspired to carry out terrorist acts aimed at establishing an Islamic regime in India through violence and terror, thereby undermining the peace and communal harmony of the nation. The agency has already filed charges against these individuals alongside other arrested suspects, indicating their involvement in gathering IEDs from a rented house in Kondhwa, Pune, owned by Abdullah Fayaz Sheikh.