NIA Arrests Two Absconders in ISIS Pune Sleeper Module Case at Mumbai Airport

New Delhi, 17 May 2025: In a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the ISIS sleeper module in Pune, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two key absconders from the Mumbai International Airport (T2). The two men — Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh alias Diaperwala and Talha Khan — were intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration while attempting to return to India from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had been in hiding.

Both accused had been on the run for over two years and were wanted in connection with a 2023 case involving the fabrication and testing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Pune. Non-bailable warrants had been issued against them by the NIA Special Court, Mumbai, and the agency had announced a reward of ₹3 lakh each for information leading to their arrest.

The case, RC-05/2023/NIA/MUM, pertains to a larger criminal conspiracy involving a ten-member ISIS sleeper cell operating out of Pune. According to the NIA, the group had conspired to commit acts of terror aimed at disturbing peace, spreading communal unrest, and waging war against the Government of India in furtherance of ISIS’s extremist agenda of establishing an Islamic state through violence.

IED Training and Testing in Pune
Shaikh and Khan had actively participated in assembling IEDs at a rented accommodation in Kondhwa, Pune, which was used as a base for their operations. The NIA's investigation revealed that during 2022–2023, the duo, along with other module members, organised a bomb-making workshop and carried out a controlled explosion to test a fabricated IED.

Both men had already been named in the chargesheet filed earlier by the NIA along with eight others currently in judicial custody. The charges include offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Others Accused in the Case:
Those already arrested in connection with the ISIS Pune sleeper module include:

• Mohammed Imran Khan

• Mohammed Yunus Saki

• Abdul Kadir Pathan

• Simab Nasiruddin Kazi

• Zulfikar Ali Barodawala

• Shamil Nachan

• Akif Nachan

• Shahnawaz Alam

The NIA, which has been leading counter-terror investigations across the country, has reiterated its commitment to thwarting ISIS’s attempts to spread its radical ideology and violence within Indian borders. Investigations in this case are ongoing, with further leads being pursued to dismantle any remaining network linked to the sleeper cell.