Saquib Abdul Hamid Nachan, an accused with alleged links to the terror outfit Islamic State (ISIS), passed away at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. He was convicted for his involvement in the bomb blasts in Mumbai in 2002 and 2003.
Nachan, a former member of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), died during brain stroke treatment, the Tihar Jail authorities informed on Saturday, as per IANS.
Who Is Saquib Nachan?
As per the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Saquib Nachan was a habitual offender in several previous terror cases and was also a self-styled Amir-e-Hind for ISIS in India.
He first came under the scanner in 1991 and was later arrested for plotting terror strikes in Gujarat. In the late 1990s, the Supreme Court convicted him of terrorist activities, and he was convicted for orchestrating three bomb blasts in Mumbai between December 2002 and March 2003- in Mumbai Central, Vile Parle, and Mulund. Found guilty of several acts, including murder, arms and explosives possession, he received a 10-year sentence until 2017.
According to IANS, Nachan (65) was also accused of declaring a village in Maharashtra’s Thane district as ‘Al Sham’, referring to it as an independent Islamic-ruled territory.
Saquib Nachan In Jail
ANI on Saturday reported, citing sources, that Nachan died in the Delhi Hospital and added that he had been in judicial custody in Tihar Jail since 2023 and was admitted to the hospital a few days ago.
NIA’s Chargesheet
In June 2024, the NIA had charge-sheeted Saquib Nachan along with 16 other hardcore operatives of the banned terror group in connection with the Delhi-Padgha ISIS terror module case. The charges involved a wide-ranging conspiracy to recruit and radicalise youth, and fabricate improvised IEDs.
The accused were booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P)A), the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act. The arrested individuals were part of a major plot to indoctrinate vulnerable youth, train them in terror activities, and raise funds for the banned organisation.
Investigations revealed that Nachan and his associates had been sharing digital files related to IED-making, actively raising funds, and carrying out preparatory acts for possible terrorist strikes across the country.
(with agencies’ inputs)
