The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted searches at 10 locations across five states in an Al Qaida Gujarat terror conspiracy case involving illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

NIA teams conducted searches at premises linked with various suspects and their associates at the selected locations in the states of West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya, Haryana and Gujarat. Several digital devices and incriminating documents were seized during the searches and are being sent for forensic analysis.

The case RC-19/2023/NIA/DLI (Al-Qaida Gujarat case) was originally registered by NIA in June 2023 under various sections of UA(P) Act, IPC and the Foreigners Act.

NIA investigations in the case so far have revealed that four Bangladeshi nationals, identified as Mohd. Sojibmiyan, Munna Khalid Ansari @ Munna Khan, Azarul Islam @ Jahangir @ Aakash Khan, and Abdul Latif @ Mominul Ansari, had illegally infiltrated into India from Bangladesh using forged Indian identity documents. They were found to be connected with the proscribed Al-Qaida terrorist organisation.

The men were involved in collection and transfer of funds to Al Qaida operatives in Bangladesh, and were also found to be actively motivating Muslim youth.

On 10th November 2023, NIA had filed a chargesheet against five accused persons before the NIA Special Court, Ahmedabad. Investigation in the case is continuing as part of NIA’s efforts to uncover the terror network’s presence, linkages, and financial channels operating within India and across the border.