Mumbai, April 2: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested two individuals, including the son of the late Saquib Nachan, an alleged former ISIS operative, in connection with a khairwood smuggling case, with investigators probing links to terror funding, officials said.
Arrests linked to smuggling network probe
According to sources, the ATS on March 29 arrested Aqib Nachan and Sahil Chikhlekar in connection with a smuggling case registered in Ratnagiri. Officials said the arrests are part of an ongoing probe into a smuggling network with alleged links to individuals involved in terror-related activities. Investigators suspect that funds generated through the smuggling racket may have been channelled into anti-national operations. Agencies are examining possible links between the khairwood smuggling case and suspected terror financing networks, including financial and logistical connections.
Case registered under multiple BNS provisions
The case was registered at the ATS Kalachowki police station in Mumbai on July 24, 2025, under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections related to theft, cheating, criminal conspiracy, and possession of suspected property, along with other relevant offences.
Both accused were produced before a special court and remanded to ATS custody till April 6 for further investigation.
Probe into possible terror funding links
Sources in the ATS said Aqib Nachan is suspected to have received funds linked to the smuggling activity, and officials are verifying whether these proceeds were used for terror-related purposes.
The ED’s investigation revealed that the module was involved in the illegal felling and smuggling of khair wood from local reserved forests, generating funds for terror financing. The wood is used to produce ‘kattha’, commonly used in paan and Ayurvedic medicines.
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Links to NIA probe and Padgha module
This money laundering probe is tied to a November 2023 case filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against the "highly radicalised" Padgha module. Saquib Nachan, the alleged mastermind and a former SIMI office-bearer, died in June 2025 while in judicial custody following a brain haemorrhage. The NIA has already filed a chargesheet against 21 accused in the case, alleging that the module was engaged in recruitment, training, and the procurement of weapons and explosives.
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