NIA busts terror module; Coast witnesses rise in shady activities

Mangaluru: Four teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids at four locations to nab four suspects who were involved in terror funding. Preliminary reports suggest that the suspects were part of a terror activity that was supposed to be conducted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Patna.

The four accused identified as Mohammad Sinan, Iqbal, Sarfaraz Nawaz and Noufal have been detained from Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district. Sources claim that the NIA teams raided the houses of all four accused and arrested them from Nandavara near Bantwal.

The NIA personnel are said to have been tracking the accused for the past few months regarding this case. According to NIA investigation in this matter, large sums of money were being sent by the accused to multiple bank accounts based in Bihar.

Investigation reports also suggest that the fund transfers were being made from Karnataka. Incriminating documents were also seized from the accused. Although it is unclear as to which visit of PM Modi to Patna was being targeted, there are claims that it could be either the 2013 visit or 2022 visit.

In February, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) locked down the premises of the Freedom Community Hall in Mittur village in Kabaka town of Puttur taluk in Dakshina Kannada. The charges in this case is that few organisations were using the premises for training anti-national and terror elements.

An order has been issued stating that the Freedom community hall has been locked up till further notice following the NIA's investigation that the hall was being used by anti-national elements for the training of anti-national and terror elements.

A student from a private engineering college in Mangaluru was taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding terror activities. The private college near Nadupadavu was raided by NIA personnel on Thursday, January 5 and took the student into custody.

Sources claim that the student was constantly in contact with Maaz Muneer, a person who was arrested by Shivamogga Police for having links with a terrorist organisation. Maaz Muneer was also involved in a pro-terror graffiti that was seen on a prominent wall in Mangaluru in December 2020.

Dakshina Kannada district was getting used to the news of terror links being holed up here. According to police files, there has been at least five major incidents involving terror elements.

The first footprints of terror in Mangaluru was felt in 2007 when the police found explosives in a house in Mukkachcheri in Ullal. 13 persons were charged of conniving with Indian Mujahideen and conspiring against the state of India.

Pune German Bakery blast accused Riyaz, Iqbal and Yaseen Sidibapa (wrongly christened as Bhatkal brothers by the media) had also roamed the city and collected raw material for making bombs.

Assadullah Akhtar also an Indian Mujahideen (IM) operator had produced bombs in an apartment in Attavar in Mangaluru city and supplied them to IM in Hyderabad in 2008. Two book keepers and fund conduits of IM were held at Panjimogaru village in 2013.

The couple Ayesha and Zubair were arrested by Bihar Police. In the same month Bihar Police had arrested Mohammad Asif of Amblamogaru and Mohammad Asif of Suralpadi on the charges of being conduit to supply money to the IM.