NIA files charges against IS suspect, five others for murder of TN cop

The suspected assailants, identified as Abdul Shameem and Thowfeek, were arrested on January 15. During interrogation, when it emerged that they had murdered a “police officer with the intention to create terror…as part of waging violent jihad”, the case was transferred to NIA in February.

The agency has now filed a chargesheet against the two along with IS suspect Khaja Mohideen, Mahboob Pasha, Ejas Pasha and Jaffer Ali. The NIA has said they were part of the conspiracy.

Mohideen, incidentally, is under NIA probe in two other cases of terror, one involving an alleged IS conspiracy to procure weapons in Tamil Nadu and another to target “Hindu leaders” in Karnataka.

In the present case, the NIA chargesheet states, “It was revealed that Khaja Mohideen was a member of the proscribed terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daish. Since May 2019, he had radicalized Abdul Shameem and Thowfeek on the jihadi (violent extremist) ideology and recruited them into his terrorist gang to carry out violent attacks against establishment, especially police in Tamil Nadu, to bring Islamic Rule, or Shariah.”

According to the chargesheet, in October 2019, Mohideen had instructed Mahboob Pasha and Ejas Pasha of Bengaluru and Jaffer Ali of Cuddalore to procure illegal firearms and prohibited ammunition for carrying out attacks.

After mid-December, 2019, allegedly on instructions of Khaja Mohideen, Abdul Shameem and Thowfeek were sheltered in Karnataka and Maharashtra by Mahboob Pasha and they were subsequently provided illegal firearms and ammunition, the NIA has said.

“In early January, when Tamil Nadu police arrested associates of Mahboob Pasha at Bengaluru and started pursuing other accused, Khaja Mohideen instructed Abdul Shameem and Thowfeek to attack Tamil Nadu Police at check posts along inter-state border in Kanyakumari district. Consequently, the assailants travelled to Kaliyakkavilai on 8th January, and knowingly attacked Special Sub-Inspector Wilson at around 21:20 Hrs,” the chargesheet states.

After the crime, they allegedly escaped to Kerala, and subsequently “travelled to Maharashtra to live in disguise before returning to Udupi in Karnataka, where they were arrested on 15.01.2020”, NIA has said.