Maharashtra Terror Module Case: Accused Concealed Pune Workshop Explosives In Padgha

Suspected ISIS terror accused Shamil Nachan on Friday was remanded until August 23 to the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) custody in connection with the Maharashtra terror module case.

Court unhappy with NIA's probe

While granting custody, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the NIA’s probe and said that the agency has not made substantial progress in the case. The NIA special judge said that the agency has not presented any concrete evidence.

The NIA told the special court that Shamil Nachan and another accused, Akif Nachan, had gone to Pune with explosive material and processed it to participate in the manufacturing and testing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at a workshop in Kondhwa, Pune, in April 2022.

Accused hid explosive material in Padgha

Sources said the two travelled to Pune in a car to participate in a two-day IED workshop. They returned with fabricated IEDs, the remaining explosive powder and explosive chemicals, which they hid somewhere in Padgha. The agency told the court that it identified the car used to transport the chemicals and the processed powder.

The NIA officials shared with the court that they conducted a raid on Shamil Nachan’s house on Thursday to recover the material. Although they didn’t find explosive material and IEDs during the search, they claimed to have recovered incriminating documents, handwritten material, Shamil Nachan’s mobile phone, laptop, and other gadgets. These seized documents are currently being scrutinised, they said.

The NIA expressed concerns that as per their investigation there is a suspicion that this explosive material could potentially be meant to target cities like Mumbai and Pune. 

Shamil Nachan's role in spotlight

As per the NIA probe, Shamil Nachan was using two mobile numbers, handsets and SIM cards that were not registered in his name. Additionally, he was found to be using eight email IDs (only one in his own name) under different identities to communicate with suspected individuals, whose identities are yet to be established.

Opposing the NIA’s custody request, Shamil Nachan’s lawyer Tahira Qureshi expressed concerns about the investigation and asserted that the agency is cooking up a story without concrete evidence. She filed three applications before the NIA court. In the first application, Nachan’s family has demanded that the recordings of the raid and the recovery process be submitted in court. In the second application, his family has demanded that the NIA submit a two-month CCTV footage from their office to the court. In the third application, his family has requested the mirror image of the seized hard disk, which they claim contains various documents related to Shamil Nachan’s father’s cases.