Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, which has high footfall of foreign tourists, was on the hit-list of Islamic State terror group, revealed an NIA investigation after the arrest of a Kerala man. Mouinudheen Parakadavath ,25, who hails from Kanhangad in Kasargod district, was arrested on February 15 for his alleged involvement in IS-inspired terror conspiracy.
Investigators have joined the dots which has revealed a dreaded plan hatched by Mouinudheen to carry out a terror strike in Kodaikanal. The target was chosen to strike maximum damage to visiting foreign tourists, said a sleuth privy to the investigations.
The terror plot was revealed after the NIA established that Mouinudheen was using the online identity Abu-Al-Indonesi as well as Ibn Abdullah on an online core-group “Darul Fikr” to stay in touch with other operatives like Swalih Mohammed, another accused in the case, who was arrested by the NIA in October last.
NIA officials told THE WEEK that the custodial interrogation of Swalih had revealed that he had received funds to the tune of Rs 20,000 through Western Union money transfer from a member of the online core-group with assumed identity “Ibn Abdulla @ Abu Al-Indonesi”.
As per the plans of the group, this money was meant for purchase of a second-hand car, which the group wanted for some action in Kodaikanal, where they can target a lot of foreign tourists, officials associated with the probe have revealed.
On October 7, 2016, unspent terror funds amounting to Rs 9,500 were seized by the NIA, as proceeds of terrorism, after it was produced by Swalih's wife Janseema.
Subsequent investigation by the agency with Western Union Money Transfer at Chennai and field enquiries in Kerala established the real identity of Moinul Islam @ Ibn Abdulla @ Abu Al-Indonesi as Mouinudheen Parakadavath, who was found to be working in Abu Dhabi. His family was contacted and asked to persuade him to come back.
NIA officials said that Mouinudheen had admitted to sending funds on two occasions to the members of the module in India from Abu Dhabi. Presently unmarried, Mouinudheen has studied till class 10 and has been working at a computer shop as salesman in UAE for the last 5 years and, as per his own admission to NIA, drawing a monthly salary of about 3,000 Dirhams currently.
Three mobile phones, one hard disc and four pen drives have been recovered and seized from him. The case registered by the NIA relates to a terror module in which a group of youths from Kerala including some members based in the Middle-East had hatched a conspiracy on the instructions of their online IS handlers.
