The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two fugitives allegedly linked to a sleeper cell of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at Mumbai International Airport, officials reported on Saturday, May 17, 2025. The individuals, Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh (also known as Diaperwala) and Talha Khan, were wanted in connection with a 2023 case involving the fabrication and testing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Pune, Maharashtra.

According to officials, the duo was intercepted by immigration authorities at Terminal 2 of Mumbai Airport upon their arrival from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had been evading arrest. They were immediately taken into custody by the NIA team present at the airport.

Both men had been absconding for over two years and were the subjects of non-bailable warrants issued by the NIA Special Court in Mumbai. The agency had also announced a ₹3 lakh reward for any leads on their whereabouts.

The case pertains to a larger conspiracy involving a total of ten individuals, including these two, who are accused of planning terrorist activities aimed at disrupting peace and communal harmony in India. According to the NIA, the group was working to further the ISIS objective of establishing an Islamic state in India through violent means.

The duo, already chargesheeted with the eight other accused, allegedly used a rented property in Pune’s Kondhwa area for assembling IEDs. Between 2022 and 2023, they reportedly conducted a bomb-making workshop and carried out a controlled explosion to test a device they had constructed.

The NIA has been actively investigating ISIS-linked operations across India to prevent terrorist threats. All ten accused in the case have been chargesheeted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Apart from Shaikh and Khan, the other arrested members of the ISIS sleeper cell include Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Abdul Kadir Pathan, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Shamil Nachan, Akif Nachan, and Shahnawaz Alam.