Saquib Nachan, arrested in 2023 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged links with the terrorist organisation ISIS, has suffered a brain haemorrhage and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi. Sources within the NIA confirmed that Nachan’s condition is critical and he remains under constant medical supervision.
Following the health emergency, authorities have beefed up security in Nachan’s native village of Padgha in Maharashtra’s Thane district. Additional police personnel have been deployed in and around Borivali village in the region, which has been under the scanner of security agencies for a long time.
According to police sources, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had recently received intelligence inputs about suspected terror-related planning being conducted from Nachan’s village. Acting on the tip-off, ATS carried out a series of raids at multiple locations. Investigations by the NIA have earlier revealed that Nachan was allegedly the mastermind behind an ISIS module operating in the state.
Officials claim that Nachan, along with his son Shamil and other associates, radicalised several youths and recruited them into the terror network. Alarmingly, the group had reportedly declared Borivali village as ‘Al-Sham’, likening it to a ‘liberated zone’ in Syria, raising concerns about the establishment of a stronghold for extremist activity.
In December 2023, the NIA had arrested Nachan, his son Shamil, and 14 others in a major anti-terror operation. Since then, the entire area has remained under special surveillance and was declared sensitive by law enforcement agencies.
While local police state that robust security measures were already in place, officials have now intensified monitoring and vigilance in light of the recent developments. Intelligence and investigative agencies continue to closely track Saqib Nachan’s medical status, even as the probe into the larger ISIS-linked network remains ongoing.
Nachan’s deteriorating health has added a new dimension to the high-profile case, which continues to expose chilling insights into homegrown radicalisation and terror planning in parts of Maharashtra.