Yogesh K Porwar
A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sentenced seven accused,including alleged mastermind T.Naseer, in the 2023 Bengaluru prison radicalisation case linked to the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The other convicted individuals—Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar,Zahid Tabrez,Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani and Salman Khan—have each been awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs.48,000 under various provisions of the IPC,Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,Arms Act and Explosives Substances Act.
According to the NIA,the accused had pleaded guilty to charges in case,which pertains to a terror conspiracy allegedly orchestrated inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
Investigators said Naseer and his associates were involved in identifying,recruiting,converting and radicalising inmates to carry out terror activities in India.
The case was initially registered by the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch in July 2023 after arms, ammunition and digital devices were seized from habitual offenders.
The probe later revealed plans to execute terror strikes in Bengaluru as part of LeT’s anti-India agenda.
Subsequently taken over by the NIA, the investigation uncovered a broader conspiracy to facilitate Naseer’s escape while being transported from prison to court.
Naseer is a life convict in multiple terror cases and was an undertrial at the time in connection with the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts.
The agency had filed chargesheets against 11 arrested accused and one absconder, identified as Junaid Ahmed, who remains at large.
Salman Khan,one of the convicts,was earlier extradited from Rwanda through coordinated efforts between Indian and Rwandan authorities.
Efforts are ongoing to trace the absconding accused, Junaid Ahmed,the NIA official release,said.
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