Shahnawaz is an Indian mining engineer and a notorious terrorist affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). He is the most wanted man by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and has a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head. He has three hundred thousand on his head. He hit the headlines in October 2023 after he was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell.
Wiki/Biography
Mohammad Shahnawaz Alam was born in 1991 (Age 32; as of 2023), while some sources claim he was born in 1992 (Age 31; as of 2023) is located in Pelawal village, Hazaribagh district, Bihar (now in Jharkhand). He completed his education in Jharkhand. Thereafter, he went to Kota, Gujarat to coach for the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), now known as JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). He received his bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, Maharashtra in 2016. After graduation, he traveled to New Delhi. There, he started preparing for the SSC examination and stayed at Abul Fazal Enclave in Jamia Nagar, Okhla. One police officer discussed his intelligence in an interview, saying:
He is a smart guy with a technical mind. “
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6″
Weight (approximately): 60kg
Hair color: Black
Eye color: dark brown
family
Parents and siblings
His father served as the principal of Urdu Medium School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. Not much information is available about his mother and siblings.
wife and children
He married Khadeeja Maryam in 2021 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. According to Delhi Police, Maryam. Before her marriage, she was known as Basanti Patel and practiced Hinduism. After marrying Shahnawaz, she changed her religion.
religion
He believes in Islam.
address
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Shahnawaz has two addresses,
- Chetana Garden Al Building, Apartment No. 17, Meeta Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune – 411048
- Sir, no. – 42, Near Bride’s Future School, Meeta Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune – 411048
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
become radical
After completing his formal education and moving to New Delhi, Shahnawaz started attending lectures organized by Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Shaheen Bagh. While in New Delhi, he came into contact with several extremist factions. These groups indoctrinated him through various social media platforms, including Telegram. He later left Hizb ut-Tahrir in order to join the Islamic State. According to sources, Shahnawaz’s brainwashing began after he started following accounts spreading ISIS and ISIL propaganda on social media. A police officer from the Delhi Police said in an interview,
He often went to Shaheen Bagh to listen to the speeches of the Liberation Party. At this time, Shahnawaz was influenced by ISIS ideology and decided to leave HuT. He then began to focus on the concept of ISIS and the various Twitter accounts and news channels that promoted ISIS ideology. “
According to sources, he started communicating with agents of Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) while he was preparing for the SSC exam. He used chat apps to contact ISI agents but would talk to family and friends over the phone.
ISIS Pune Module
After leaving Delhi, he moved to Pune and lived in Kothrud. He reportedly began recruiting young people to help the Islamic State expand its network in India. In Maharashtra, he established numerous training camps deep in the forests and began instructing recruits in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and how to manage firearms. He will also conduct experiments with homemade explosive devices in the forest near the training site.
Case investigation status
Shahnawaz, Yunus Khan and Yakub Saki were detained by Pune police on July 18, 2023, when they tried to steal a motorcycle in Kothrud, Pune. When police took Shahnawaz to his residence in a police van for further investigation, he jumped from the moving vehicle and managed to escape police custody. Initially, the police thought it was a minor theft; however, when they interrogated Yunus and Yakub, they discovered that the three were working for ISIS in India. Yakub and Yunus also revealed that Shahnawaz kept concentrated acid used in bomb making at his residence in Kothrud. The two further stated that they first met Shahnawaz in February 2023 through an overseas ISI handler. After escaping from jail, Shahnawaz returned to Delhi to hide from the authorities. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police took over the case on July 22, 2023 and arrested many persons related to ISIS in Maharashtra. During the course of investigation, security organizations with the assistance of bomb disposal and reconnaissance teams found and contained a number of explosive devices at his Pune apartment. They also found a pen drive containing more than 500 gigabytes of information about making explosive devices.
Attempts to capture Shahnawaz
In September 2023, the NIA shared information and photos of Shahnawaz and offered a reward of Rs 1. A reward of 300,000 is offered for his capture. The agency also conducted searches at various places in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir in pursuit of him. During the search, they discovered and confiscated various chemicals used in making homemade explosive devices. In October 2023, Shahnawaz, Mohammad Arshad Warsi and Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf, who were suspected of having links with ISIS, were captured by the police. Shahnawaz was arrested in Jaipur, New Delhi, Rizwan in Lucknow and Arshad in Moradabad.
List of most wanted criminals released by NIA
The truth after being arrested
Interrogation of the trio after their arrest revealed that they intended to target multiple locations across India, especially densely populated areas of New Delhi, to cause maximum damage. Shahnawaz was in constant touch with his contacts in the ISI and kept them updated on the progress of the blast plot. During interrogation, Shahnawaz planned to establish a base in the Western Ghats and conduct regular reconnaissance of possible targets to select the best spot to inflict maximum damage. Police also recovered materials from Shahnawaz such as a pistol, some bullets, simple plastic pipes, metal pipes, chemicals, timers and other substances that could be used to make explosive devices. The official statement from Delhi Police is as follows:
The main accused Shahnawaz and his two other accomplices were arrested this morning. Another accused, Mohammad Rizwan, is absconding. They conducted surveys in many places in western and southern India. From the moment they procure materials, they bring explosive containers and pipes with them. They are supported and promoted by Islamic State elements. Their footprints are all over India. “
National Investigation Agency (NIA) members escorted Shahnawaz and two other associates
Shahnawaz revealed that Farhathullah Ghori, the perpetrator of the 2002 Akshardham temple attack in Gujarat, was his agent. The law enforcement agency also discovered a series of recorded instructions he received from Guri regarding the manufacture of explosives, as well as a list that included the names of prominent leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and designated bomb blast locations, e.g. Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Sketch by Farhatullah Ghouri
Facts/Trivia
- Shahnawaz is also known as Shafi Ujjama Alam, Shafiuzamma Alam and Abdulla.
- He reportedly learned how to make bombs while studying mining engineering in Nashik, Maharashtra.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education