“Nasir and the others have definitely been inspired by the radical ideology of Mullah Omar and the Taliban, but there is no evidence of two-way contacts,” said a senior police officer supervising investigations for the CoD in Karnataka.

Based on its investigations across Karnataka and Kerala, the CoD has so far arrested seven alleged SIMI operatives, apart from Nasir, on charges of conspiracy to wage war against the country. The police have alleged that the group held three key meetings in the northern part of Karnataka and plotted to attack tourist spots in Goa.

Nagori, Adnan and Shibli — a computer engineer originally from Kerala who was living in Bangalore and allegedly supporting SIMI activities — who were all arrested during the Indore crackdown, were listed as most wanted by the CoD for being the top leadership of the group assembled in Karnataka.

While Nagori, who is linked to the 2006 Malegaon blasts, has been in hiding for a long time, Adnan and Shibli had disappeared after the first set of arrests of Nasir and his friend Asadullah Abubacker became public on January 26.

“The arrest of Nagori, Adnan and Shibli has brought the conspiracy investigations in Karnataka that began after the arrest of Nasir to a full circle,” said a senior officer.