Zulfikar Ali Barodawala served as a senior project manager in an MNC with an annual package of Rs 31 lakh.
Some of the six ISIS operatives arrested from Pune and Thane and charge-sheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) were serving in top corporate firms before they took to full-time indoctrination of youth and preparing for terror attacks.
Zulfikar Ali Barodawala served as a senior project manager in a multinational company with an annual package of Rs 31 lakh, Zubair Shaikh worked as a senior associate, technology angular on RPA (Robotics Process Automation) with a tech-based company, and Sharjeel held a position as a retainer in an IT firm.
Barodawala is the reported mastermind and financier of the Pune ISIS terror module.
Tabish Siddiqui, another terrorist, shared a PDF file of a “do it yourself (DIY)” kit titled “efficiency pdf” with an email ID belonging to ISIS, said the charge-sheet.
Tabish provided information on how to achieve efficient intensity for a particular volume of white powder or any explosive substance.
“Tabish utilised a virtual number and Virtual Private Network (VPN) for communication with co-accused and Islamic State contacts on platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp,” said the NIA.
Tabish shared ISIS content with contacts through the Telegram app and Facebook messenger. He remained in communication with his ISIS handlers, including someone identified as “Formula One,” since February 2023.
Tabish had intentions to travel and join the ISIS, having prepared content and Urdu translations for publication in an ISIS-run magazine. Another piece of content titled “Istishadi Operation” claimed to signify a suicide operation, with his targets primarily being susceptible Muslims.
The NIA said, “It is evident from the statement of witnesses that accused Zulfikar Barodawala, Sharjeel Shaikh, and Akif Nachan and others (including Shamil Nachan, accused in another NIA case) had several meetings in Chhoti Masjid, Padgha-Borivali. They planned the recruitment of gullible Muslim youth for the Islamic State (ISIS), furthering the activities of Islamic State by propagating the ideology of Daesh (ISIS) and carrying out violent jihad on the land of Al-Sham.”
Barodawala provided training and funds to Mohammad Imran, Yunus, and Shahnawaz. Akif Atiq Nachan, the IED expert, hid Imran and Yunus. Mohammad Imran, a graphic designer, had stayed in the Kondwa flat of Imran and Yunus, receiving bomb-making training from Akif in 2022. Agencies are searching for others involved in the training.
Investigation has revealed that the terrorists conducted bomb blast tests in the forests of Pune, Kolhapur, and Satara, living in tents and learning the technique of aerial blasts through drones.
In July 2023, the Pune Police arrested Shahnawaz, along with Mohammad Imran Khan and Mohammad Saki from Madhya Pradesh, initially for a two-wheeler theft in Pune. Shahnawaz managed to escape, leading to a broader investigation into the Pune ISIS terror module.
Three wanted terrorists, Talha Liaquat Khan of Pune, and Rizwan Abdul Haji Ali and Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh of Delhi, were identified.