In a sensational turn of events, the Delhi Police successfully apprehended a notorious Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist who had been at the top of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) Wanted List. The capture of this fugitive marks a significant milestone in the relentless pursuit of justice and security.

The arrested individual is none other than Shahnawaz, also known as Shafi Uzzama, a name synonymous with terror and danger. Shahnawaz had been evading authorities in a case ominously titled the ‘Pune ISIS module,’ linked to a city in Maharashtra, western India.

This dramatic arrest comes after Shahnawaz managed a daring escape from Pune police custody and sought refuge in the heart of New Delhi, living a life in the shadows.

The NIA had previously issued a staggering cash reward of ₹3 lakh ($3,606) for any information leading to Shahnawaz’s location and subsequent capture. The manhunt for this mining engineer had gripped the nation, with security agencies leaving no stone unturned.

But the pursuit didn’t stop at Shahnawaz; it extended to a quartet of terror suspects. The NIA recently released images of these individuals, offering an equally enticing ₹3 lakh reward for each of them, Shahnawaz included. The other three fugitives were identified as Talha Liyakat Khan from Pune, Rizwan Abdul Haji Ali, and Abdulla Faiyaz Shaikh, alias Daiperwala, both hailing from Delhi.

The story takes a gripping twist when one delves into the initial arrest of Shahnawaz. Pune Police had apprehended Shahnawaz and two accomplices, Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan and Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki, on July 18. This trio was taken into custody after a failed attempt to steal a two-wheeler.

The shocking escape unfolded when, during a police escort to Shahnawaz’s residence in Pune, he made a daring leap from the police vehicle, managing to elude capture. Khan and Saki subsequently spilled critical information, linking them to a terrorism case in Rajasthan, involving the discovery of explosives in a car in March 2022. Each of them carried a staggering ₹5 lakh ($6,012) bounty.

As the investigation deepened, authorities uncovered incriminating evidence against Shahnawaz, including acid and materials for explosive production. The Anti-Terrorism Squad unearthed a wealth of information from laptops and mobile phones, with over 500 GB of data. This treasure trove exposed links to instructional bomb-making videos on YouTube and Google images of various potential targets.

More shockingly, the NIA uncovered indications that a foreign-based handler might have directed Shahnawaz to execute a terror attack, underscoring the transnational dimensions of this alarming case.

This arrest sends shockwaves through the nation and highlights the relentless efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism.

  India, ISIS, National Investigation Agency, New Delhi, Shahnawaz