ISIS Suspect Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh And Talha Khan Claim Oman Move Was For Work, Not To Evade Arrest

Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh and Talha Khan, who were arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) for their alleged links with ISIS activities, had claimed that they had left India for Oman for work in 2022 with their families.

Shaikh and Khan's lawyer Tahira Qureshi has moved a plea before the special court putting chronology of their travel on record. It is stated that the two were arrested on May 15 as soon as they arrived in Indonesia from Iran. It was claimed that they were handed over to NIA officers who were present there and later have been brought to India.

In the plea, Qureshi stated that Shaikh left India for Oman with his family in September 2022 for work, and Khan also reportedly moved there the same year. The defence has refuted the NIA’s claim that the two had been absconding for two years.

The application notes that Omani authorities asked them to leave after they were declared wanted in the ISIS Pune module case. They then moved to Iran, where they were arrested on December 8, 2024, at India’s request. After three months in detention, they were released, but Iranian authorities also asked them to leave in March.

While seeking their custody, NIA had claimed that two were involved in IED fabrication training activities for bomb making at their rented flat at Kondhwa, Pune.