Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Journalism of Courage
Premium
Hyderabad doctor at centre of Gujarat ricin terror plot was promised ‘ISIS Amir of South Asia’: NIA chargesheet
Hyderabad doctor was promised ISIS 'Amir’ of South Asia post: Agency
The statement said, "Investigation revealed that the other two co-accused had knowingly participated in the conspiracy by maintaining contact with handlers, receiving and utilising proceeds of terror, conducting reconnaissance, taking oath of allegiance and collecting illegal arms and ammunition."
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said it filed a charge sheet in the ricin bioterror plot case that was first investigated by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in November 2025 and subsequently transferred to the central agency in January 2026.
The NIA said it had “filed charges against three accused persons linked to the proscribed ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) terrorist organisation in a jihadi bioterrorism conspiracy aimed at carrying out mass poisoning of innocent people in public spaces”.
The statement issued on Tuesday further said, “The main accused, Hyderabad-based Dr Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin, along with co-accused Azad and Muhammad Suhel, both from Uttar Pradesh, have been charge sheeted before the NIA special court at Ahmedabad under relevant sections of the UAPA and Arms Act.”
The Indian Express had reported on the first-of-its-kind case in India on February 13, 2026.
Working under the guidance of the respective IS-linked foreign-based handlers, the accused had operated in a coordinated manner to recruit vulnerable youth radicalised by the handlers to support Jihad and spread terror through illegal prohibited weapons and bioterrorism. They had planned to use ricin—a biological toxin occurring naturally in the seeds of castor oil and listed in Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention to carry out the nefarious agenda of IS, said the NIA on Tuesday.
The Case
A Gujarat ATS team intercepted a car at the Adalaj toll plaza on November 7 last year and recovered three guns and four litres of castor oil from the possession of a foreign medical graduate from Hyderabad, kicking off the investigation into the very first attempt at a bioterrorism plot in India involving ricin.
On November 8, 2025, Dr Saiyed (35) from Hyderabad, Azad Suleman Sheikh, (20), a tailor from Shamli in UP, and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem Khan, a 23-year-old student hailing from Lakhimpur Kheri, UP, and foreign national Abu Khadija, were booked under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the Arms Act.
NIA probe
Story continues below this ad
After taking over the investigation in January 2026, the NIA said it “found that Mohiuddin was involved in the conspiracy by his handler on the promise of being made an ISIS ‘Amir’ of South Asia. He had transformed his Hyderabad residence into a clandestine laboratory to prepare ricin from castor seeds.”
The statement said, “Investigation revealed that the other two co-accused had knowingly participated in the conspiracy by maintaining contact with handlers, receiving and utilising proceeds of terror, conducting reconnaissance, taking oath of allegiance and collecting illegal arms and ammunition.”
It further said, “Suhel had acted as the crucial link between the handler and the other co-accused for recruitment, coordination and handling of funds and weapon consignments. He had received and distributed funds, conducted reconnaissance, handled and transported illegal weapons, recorded Bay’ah (oath), and prepared ISIS flags.”
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement