Ex-SIMI office-bearer Saquib Nachan dies in Delhi hospital

Ex-Mulund blast convict, Saquib Nachan—arrested in 2023 by NIA sleuths during an ISIS crackdown—died at Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Nachan, who was imprisoned in Tihar Jail, was initially rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in Delhi on 22 June after he suffered a haemorrhagic stroke inside the prison.

Later, on 25 June, he was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital for advanced medical treatment.

A senior official at Tihar Jail confirmed the development. “Saquib Nachan, who was imprisoned at Tihar Jail since 2023, died during medical treatment at Safdarjung Hospital at 11:30 am on June 28. After following the due legal channels, Delhi Police personnel—who had beefed up security at Safdarjung Hospital for Nachan—informed us at around 4:30 pm about his death,” the prison official told Mid-Day.

Nachan was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in December 2023, following coordinated raids across 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Along with Nachan, 14 operatives of the ISIS Maharashtra Module were taken into custody during the nationwide crackdown.

According to NIA sources, Nachan had allegedly assumed the role of a self-proclaimed ISIS leader with the authority to administer bayat—an oath of allegiance to the ISIS Khalifa. He was arrested from his native twin villages, Borivli-Padgha, in Thane district.

The massive operation involved hundreds of officers from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and local police, who assisted the NIA in apprehending suspects accused of promoting terrorism and supporting the banned outfit’s agenda.

Seizures made during the 2023 raids included unaccounted cash, arms, and radical material: one pistol, two air guns, eight swords and knives, 38 mobile phones, two laptops, six hard drives, CDs, and 51 Hamas flags. Authorities also recovered Rs 68.03 lakh in cash and a cache of radical literature.

Investigations revealed that the accused were running the ISIS Maharashtra module from Padgha-Borivli. The group had allegedly conspired to spread terror across India under the guise of violent jihad and Khilafat, while working under the direction of foreign handlers.

Sleeper Cell Probe
Earlier this month, the Maharashtra ATS and local police conducted pre-dawn raids in Padgha and Bhiwandi, targeting associates of Saquib Nachan. Acting on intelligence inputs, officials discovered an alleged sleeper cell operating in Borivli village.

This network was reportedly radicalising local youth under a system called Shariyat-e-Al-Sham, aimed at setting up a parallel governance model. Investigators seized 19 mobile phones and digital devices suspected to be linked to ISIS and foreign terror organisations. Authorities also found that some recruits had recently travelled to Turkey, raising red flags about international links.

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