According to a senior NIA official, searches were carried out in Muthupet, Keelakarai, Devipattinam, Lalpet and Salem to unearth details on the terror modules of the Islamic State and smash the network. The module is called "martyrdom is our only motto".
According to the agency sources, raids are underway at the residence of Sheik Dawood, Mohammed Riyaz, Sadhik, Mubharis Ahmad, Rizwan and Hameed Akbar, whose names are mentioned in the case.
The official said during the raids the agency seized a number of digital devices, including three laptops, three hard disks, 16 mobile phones, eight SIM cards, two pen drives, five memory cards and one card reader, two knives and a large number of incriminating documents.
The case relates to a group of 10 people, belonging to different parts of Tamil Nadu, who had formed a WhatsApp group named 'Shahdat is our goal' (martyrdom is our only motto).
In 2018, according to the NIA, the group conspired to procure arms, raise funds to wage armed struggle, facilitate escape of terrorists from jails and propagate their ideology to act against the state.
The case was initially registered by the Tamil Nadu Police on April 2, 2018 in the Ramanathapuram district under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
The police arrested nine accused, while one is absconding. Later, they were released on bail by the court.