NIA arrests 17th accused from Hyderabad in HuT terror module case

New Delhi, Aug  (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said that it has arrested an accused, who is an alleged member of the Hizb-Ut-Tahrir (HuT), an international fundamentalist organisation, in connection with the unlawful activities of a terrorist module operating in Bhopal and Hyderabad, an official said.

The central probe agency spokesperson here said that the agency had arrested Salman following raids from Telangana's Hyderabad, where he was hiding in the Rajendra Nagar area. 

The official also added that the agency seized incriminating digital devices, including hard disks, pen drives, SD card etc., along with various documents following searches at two locations. 

The searches were conducted based on credible inputs.

The official also said that Salman was an active member of the Hyderabad-based module of HuT, which was led by another accused Salim who has already been arrested.

"Salim, along with Salman and four other accused of the Hyderabad module, were operating to expand their Tanzeem with an aim to establish a Caliphate based on Shariat," the official added.
 
"NIA probe shows that the HuT was trying to build its organisation and cadres clandestinely by recruiting impressionable Muslim youth into the organisation. The outfit aimed to overthrow the constitutionally formed government in India in order to establish a Sharia law," he said.
 
The official also added that the NIA is continuing its investigations in the case and expects to unravel the entire conspiracy of HuT to destabilise the country.

The fresh arrest takes the number of arrests registered by NIA against the HuT module on May 24 this year to 17.