In a massive crackdown on the ISIS terrorist organisation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested its 15 operatives during multiple raids across Maharashtra and Karnataka, an official said.
The arrested accused included the leader of an ISIS module who was administering 'bayath' (oath of allegiance) to new recruits, a spokesperson of the federal anti-terror agency said.
Several NIA teams swooped down on as many as 44 locations in Padgha-Borivali, Thane, Mira Road and Pune in Maharashtra, and Bengaluru in Karnataka early Saturday morning, and apprehended the 15 accused for allegedly promoting terror and terror-related acts and activities of the proscribed organisation, the official said.
Of the 44 locations being raided since this morning, the agency sleuths searched one place in Karnataka, two in Pune, 31 in Thane Rural, nine in Thane city, and one in Bhayander, they said.
The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by accused persons and their associates who had pledged to the violent extremist ideology of proscribed terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and had formed a terrorist gang.
The terrorist organizations had recruited like-minded youth into their fold besides conducting religious classes to wage violent jihad to establish Islamic rule in India.