Padgha, the notorious ISIS hub in Thane, is back in the news and unsurprisingly, for all the wrong reasons. The Maharashtra ATS (Anti Terrorism Squad) raided 22 places in Padgha on Monday (2 June) over suspected terror activities. The raids have revealed terrorist Saquib Nachan’s vast network that involves drone warfare, bomb making, radicalization, and international terror network.
Maha ATS raids Padgha
The Maharashtra ATS, in coordination with the Thane Rural Police, launched extensive search operations in the Padgha area near Bhiwandi early Monday (2 June) morning. The pre-emptive action, aimed at thwarting suspected terror activities, targeted residences of individuals previously linked to terror cases. The operation was based on recent intelligence inputs, according to sources.
Over 250 personnel, including 20 ATS teams, participated in coordinated raids at 22 locations beginning around 4 a.m. and continuing into the afternoon. The primary focus, ATS sources said, was on the residence of relatives of Saquib Abdul Hamid Nachan who is accused by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of leading the ISIS Maharashtra module. Nachan, a former office-bearer of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), was arrested along with his son in 2023 for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches and recruiting individuals for terrorist activities.
Several individuals whose homes were raided are currently on Hajj in Saudi Arabia, including 60-year-old land agent Faraq Zuber Mulla from Boriwali village. He is reportedly linked to SIMI. His elder brother, Hasib Mulla, was convicted in the 2002-03 Mumbai train blasts and recently arrested again in connection with the Delhi ISIS module case in December 2023.
The ATS also searched the residence of Abdul Latif Kaskar, a known associate of Farhan Suse—another accused in the Delhi ISIS module case. A location in Kalyan was also raided, but the targeted individual was not found there.
Authorities stated the raids were part of broader preventive measures undertaken in the wake of the April 22 terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Intelligence indicated that radical elements linked to Saquib Nachan had reorganized and were allegedly planning anti-national activities.
Security in Boriwali village was tightened during the operation, with heavy police deployment including Riot Control Police (RCP) units from neighboring districts. Senior officers including Thane Rural Superintendent of Police D Swami and ATS Deputy Commissioner of Police S Sail supervised the operations on-site.
During the searches, officials recovered several suspicious items, including multiple SIM cards, mobile phones, sharp weapons such as swords and knives, documents related to suspicious property transactions, and printed materials believed to be used for radicalization.
“So far, no arrests have been made and no notices have been issued. Some individuals were briefly questioned and later released,” an official said. However, police are in the process of booking two individuals in connection with the seizure of deadly weapons. The recovered materials have been sent for forensic examination.
Investigations are ongoing to assess the scope of the alleged conspiracy and determine any links to broader terror networks.
How terrorist Saquib Nachan had turned Padgha village into an ISIS hub
Al-Sham, meaning ‘Greater Syria’ in Arabic, in Padgha is a jihadi enclave created by Nachan where he was radicalizing Muslims. During an operation conducted by NIA (National Investigation Agency) in 2023 in Padgha, they arrested locals who were found in possession of maps highlighting prominent locations in Mumbai, videos featuring Zakir Naik, firearms, swords, 51 Hamas flags, 68 lakhs in cash, 38 mobile phones, and three hard disks. The investigation revealed a plan to carry out more than 40 drone attacks in Mumbai.
Terrorist Saquib Nachan is the brain behind Padgha Al-Sham village. Nachan, initially sentenced to life imprisonment in 1991, had his conviction commuted to 10 years by the Supreme Court, leading to his release in 2001—a decision that raised eyebrows. However, there is no evidence to suggest that he reformed his behaviour during or after his incarceration.
Arrested once again in connection with the 2002-2003 Mumbai blasts, Nachan received a 10-year sentence under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and was released in 2017. His son Shamil Nachan was also arrested in the same case. However, instead of reforming, he took on a more alarming role, assuming the position of the ISIS Maharashtra Module chief. Nachan began recruiting young individuals and providing them with terrorist training.
He began settling them in Padgha Al-Sham to create a separate state. Nachan not only played a role in radicalizing youth but also organized diverse training programs for them, according to intelligence sources. Nachan was a crucial figure responsible for managing foreign operations, funding, and psychological operations against Bharat. He led what is considered the most dangerous ISIS module, aiming to establish a separate state. His plans involved orchestrating bombings across Bharat, surpassing the severity of the 26/11 attacks. Additionally, Nachan administered the Bayʿah (oath of allegiance) to recruits, enhancing their commitment to the jihadist cause.
Under the guidance of their foreign handlers, the accused were actively participating in terrorist activities, manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for planned attacks. Operating independently from Borivali-Padgha, the initial investigations unveiled that the arrested individuals had proclaimed the village of Padgha in rural Thane (Bhiwandi) as a “liberated zone” and referred to it as “Al-Sham.”
They encouraged susceptible Muslim youths to relocate to Al-Sham (Padgha) to strengthen their presence. NIA’s investigation revealed that the organization has been expanding its terror network in India by establishing localized ISIS modules and cells in various states across the country.
Saquib Nachan aimed to unite SIMI, Indian Mujahideen, and ISIS, urging them to overlook past differences. That even after two years, when the existence of an ‘ISIS territory’ a stone’s throw away from the country’s financial capital was brought to light, the ecosystem of Padgha hasn’t been destroyed should be a cause for concern.
