The Enforcement Directorate conducted extensive raids on December 11, targeting more than 40 locations across Maharashtra and several other states in a money-laundering investigation linked to an ISIS-affiliated Padgha module involving Saquib Nachan and associated operatives. The searches, carried out by the ED’s Mumbai Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, spanned sites in the Padgha–Borivali belt as well as Delhi, Kolkata, Hazaribaug, Prayagraj, Daman and Ratnagiri.
During the operation, officials seized movable assets worth about Rs 9.7 crore, including nearly Rs 3.7 crore in cash and approximately Rs 6 crore in gold jewellery and bullion. Twenty-five bank accounts connected to the accused were frozen, and the ED recovered digital devices, incriminating documents, radicalisation material and property records linked to suspects.
The probe stems from FIRs and charge sheets filed by the National Investigation Agency in cases involving terrorism-related offences under the IPC, UAPA and the Explosive Substances Act. The investigation has revealed that the accused were part of a deeply radicalised ISIS-linked module involved in recruitment, training, weapons procurement and fundraising to support extremist activity.
Inputs from the Maharashtra ATS indicated that several module members were engaged in generating illegal revenue through the clandestine cutting, smuggling and sale of Kaith (Khair) wood, with the proceeds allegedly diverted to support terror operations. Financial analysis by the ED uncovered monetary links among the accused through banking channels, prompting raids on premises belonging to them, their associates and entities with suspicious financial dealings.
The searches also exposed indications of hawala transactions and uncovered suspected illegally sourced Kaith wood from reserve forest areas. The ED has alerted the local Forest Department for further action. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to unravel the broader network and financial ecosystem supporting the module.
