NIA raids 20 locations across several states in RSS office attack probe

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at 20 places across several states in connection with a case linked to the hurling of a bomb at the RSS office in Ranchi, according to officials.

Officials said the searches were being conducted across five locations in Uttar Pradesh, three in Maharashtra, two in Delhi and one each in Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana and West Bengal.

The searches came after all three men, arrested for a petrol bomb attack on an RSS office in Ranchi, Jharkhand, on June 16, were linked to the ISI-funded Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH). They were radicalised in Dubai, officials said.


Sources said Saif Ansari and Aman Ansari had gone to Dubai where they came in contact with Shahbaz Rana alias Bhatti, a Pakistani national. "Subsequently, they got radicalised and agreed to spread TTH's anti-India activities," according to officials.

The accused stayed in constant touch with handlers through the 'Botim app' which functions in Dubai, and WhatsApp, sources said, adding that after the attack, they filmed the incident on their mobile phones and sent the video to their handler.