The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at Abdul Nazeer’s residence in Ballari, Karnataka, as part of a multi-state operation related to an alleged terror conspiracy case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Officials questioned Nazeer’s family members about his associates and examined their mobile phones during the raids. Abdul Nazeer had previous involvement in a UAPA case in Hyderabad and was arrested by Vijayawada Police for allegedly promoting extremist ideology through social media.
Investigators have accused Abdul Nazeer of forming and operating an extremist group and being part of a conspiracy to conduct subversive activities in Chennai and Visakhapatnam. He is also suspected of having ties to terrorist organizations. The searches in Ballari were part of simultaneous NIA operations in several states, including Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.
The NIA had previously charged seven individuals in Ballari in June 2023 for allegedly establishing an Islamic State-inspired terror module. These individuals were arrested in December 2022 and faced charges under the UAPA, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The accused were allegedly involved in recruiting and radicalizing vulnerable youth as ‘mujahideen’ to operate as terrorist sleeper cells.
According to the NIA, the accused were part of a larger ISIS conspiracy to create 50 sleeper cells in each Indian district by 2025. They were also implicated in manufacturing explosives to further the ISIS agenda of establishing a Caliphate system in India through jihad against the Government of India.
