Multi-State Raids Target ISIS-Linked Financial Network: Authorities Uncover Radicalization and Illicit Funding Operations

Enforcement agencies have conducted extensive searches across approximately 40 locations spanning multiple states in a major operation targeting a suspected ISIS-linked network. The raids covered areas including the Padgha-Borivali region near Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra's Ratnagiri.

The operation was initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), prompted by serious national security concerns and the significant scale of the alleged financial operations involved.

Searches were executed at premises connected to accused individuals, their close associates, family members, and entities displaying suspicious financial connections or dubious monetary transactions. Officials indicated that the investigation originated from chargesheets filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which provided the foundation for launching the PMLA probe.

According to preliminary findings, the individuals under investigation were members of a deeply radicalized ISIS-linked module engaged in recruitment, training, procurement of weapons and explosives, and fundraising to maintain the organization's activities. Their operations reportedly extended across multiple states, making the module both sophisticated and high-risk.

Intelligence gathered by the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) further revealed a clandestine network involved in illegal cutting, smuggling, and selling of Khair (Kaith) wood. Investigators believe that proceeds from this illicit trade were channeled toward financing extremist activities, adding another dimension to the group's revenue generation mechanisms.

Officials stated that the searches aim to expose the full extent of the financial network, identify all beneficiaries, and dismantle the ecosystem supporting the terror module. The investigation remains active and ongoing.