A controlled explosion was conducted to test the devices assembled at the site, the NIA stated.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended two fugitives linked to a 2023 ISIS sleeper module case in Pune, marking a significant breakthrough in its ongoing counter-terrorism operations. The duo, identified as Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh alias Diaperwala and Talha Khan, were intercepted at Mumbai International Airport (T2) upon their return from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had been evading arrest.

According to the NIA, the two had been on the run for over two years and were wanted in connection with a case involving the fabrication and testing of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in Pune, Maharashtra. Both had non-bailable warrants issued against them by the NIA Special Court, Mumbai, and a cash reward of ₹3 lakh had been announced for any leads on their whereabouts.

The case, registered as RC-05/2023/NIA/MUM, centers around a criminal conspiracy by a total of ten individuals, including the two recent arrestees, who were part of an ISIS sleeper module. Their objective, the agency said, was to wage a violent campaign against the Indian state in pursuit of the terror outfit's goal of establishing an Islamic State in India.

Investigations revealed that the accused were engaged in assembling IEDs in a rented house in Kondhwa, Pune, and had organized a bomb-making and training workshop. A controlled explosion was conducted to test the devices assembled at the site, the NIA stated.

The NIA has already charge-sheeted the two latest arrestees, along with eight others — Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Abdul Kadir Pathan, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Shamil Nachan, Akif Nachan, and Shahnawaz Alam — under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Explosives Substances Act, Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The agency emphasized that its efforts are part of a broader crackdown on ISIS activities in India, aimed at neutralizing threats posed by the group's radical ideology and violent agenda.