Mumbai: A special court granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to record statements of 19 accused currently lodged in various jails across India to facilitate a deeper probe into a money laundering case linked to a terror conspiracy previously investigated by the National Investigation Agency. Among the accused under investigation is deceased Saqib Nachan. “It is submitted that it is necessary to confront the accused … with the material collected during the course of investigation, including financial records, bank transactions and other documentary evidence, and to ascertain the role of each accused in the offence of money laundering,” the ED submitted.The investigation stems from an Enforcement Case Information Report registered in 2025, which followed a predicate offence involving ISIS members and sympathisers operating in Delhi and bordering areas of Uttar Pradesh. The prosecution submitted that the accused were involved in a criminal conspiracy, taking an oath of allegiance to the ISIS Khalifa. Nachan, described as the main conspirator and a habitual offender, allegedly continued his activities after his release in 2017. The investigating agency argued that he radicalised the youth and organised weapon training under the guise of religious teachings. The order directs the superintendents of prisons in New Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Nagpur to facilitate ED’s visits. The court permitted the ED officers to use electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones, for the recording process, which is scheduled to take place between June and Aug 2026.
