By The Sampadak Express
Saquib Abdul Hamid Nachan, a 67-year-old terror suspect from Padgha village near Mumbai, passed away on Saturday morning at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital after suffering a stroke. Nachan, a former office-bearer of the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), was under arrest for alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS).
Nachan was lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail following his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in December 2023. He was among 16 people picked up during coordinated raids across Maharashtra and Karnataka in a nationwide crackdown on alleged ISIS modules. According to the NIA, Nachan was a key operative of the ISIS network in Maharashtra.
On Tuesday, Nachan reportedly suffered a stroke and was first admitted to Deendayal Upadhyay Hospital before being shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on Wednesday for advanced treatment. His lawyer, Shamsher Ansari, said that doctors declared him dead around 11:30 am on Saturday. Ansari also claimed that jail authorities had delayed informing the family, who were notified only on Monday. He filed a plea in the Patiala House Court seeking specialized medical care for his client, but Nachan died before it could be heard.
The NIA alleges that Nachan played a central role in radicalizing youth and forming an ISIS-inspired module based in Padgha, a village in Thane district. He is accused of recruiting young Muslims, declaring Padgha a “liberated zone,” and administering bayath (allegiance) to ISIS’ Khalifa. According to officials, he trained recruits in armed conflict and anti-national activities.
In the December 2023 raids, the NIA, along with state Anti-Terrorism Squads, searched 44 locations across Maharashtra and Karnataka including Padgha, Kalyan, Mira Road, Pune, and parts of Bengaluru. They reportedly recovered weapons, IEDs, cash, and even Hamas flags, claiming the accused were acting on instructions from foreign handlers to carry out terror activities.
Nachan was previously convicted in connection with the 2002–2003 Mumbai suburban train blasts, which killed over ten people. He had served a ten-year prison sentence in that case.
Investigations into the broader ISIS network allegedly led by Nachan are ongoing. His death marks a significant development in the high-profile case.
