NIA registers 17 Islamic State-related cases from Southern India

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered 17 cases related to the presence of the Islamic State (IS) in southern states of Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and arrested 122 accused persons, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday.

This was disclosed by Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

"Some instances of individuals from different states, including southern states, having joined Islamic State (IS) have come to the notice of central and state security agencies," he said.

The Islamic State is using various internet based social media platforms to propagate its ideology. Cyber space is being closely watched in this regard by the agencies concerned and action is taken as per law, he said.

Investigations by the NIA have revealed that the IS is most active in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, Reddy said.

"The Islamic State, Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Daish, Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K) and all its manifestations have been notified as terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, he added.