NIA Files Charge Sheet Against 10 Suspected Terrorists for Carrying out Attacks in India

New Delhi, May 25 (PTI) The NIA today filed a charge sheet against 10 suspected terrorists for allegedly receiving funds from the main operatives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) based in Pakistan and UAE for reviving terrorist activities in India.

The charge sheet was filed in a special NIA court here against Amzad alias Rehan, a resident of Faislabad in Pakistan, Habib-ur-Rahman, resident of Kendrapada, Odisha, at present in Saudi Arabia, Gul Nawaz, resident of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, currently in Saudi Arabia and Javed Ahmed, resident of Muzaffarnagar (UP), at present in Saudi Arabia, among others.

Besides them, Shiekh Abdul Naeem (resident of Aurangabad, Maharashtra), Bedar Bakht alias Dhannu Raja (native of Gopalganj, Bihar), Towseef Ahmad Malik (resident of Pulwama, Kashmir), Dinesh Garg, Adish Kumar Garg and Mohd Imran (all native of Muzaffarnagar, UP) under various sections of Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Passport Act, Aadhar Act and the Arms Act.

This case was registered on November 27, last year at the NIA against Nayeem, Amzad and others.

"It was alleged that LeT operative Shaikh Abdul Naeem has been involved in receiving funds from the main operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) based in Pakistan and UAE for terrorist activities in India and was using the same to establish hideouts, recruit people for LeT and to do reconnaissance of targets in India," a statement issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said.

During investigation, it has been established that accused Naeem a.k.a Sonu and Sohel Khan at Gopalganj; Shahzad at Cuttack; Dada at Ramnagar Varanasi; Rajeev at Kullu Manali and Chandigarh and Hamid at Banda (Uttar Pradesh) and Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, and previously known as Shaikh Sameer, is an active member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a proscribed terrorist organisation in India, it said.

He, in pursuance of the larger criminal conspiracy to carry out the subversive activities in India, infiltrated into the country from the Bangladesh side along with his three associates - Muzaffar Ahmed Rather, Mohammad Abdulla and Mohammad Yunus - in 2007.

While infiltrating into the Indian territory from Bangladesh border, they were arrested on April 4, 2007 and a case was registered against them.

On January 21, 2017, a fast track court in West Bengal awarded capital punishment to Rather, Abdulla and Yunus who were found guilty of the offences for waging a war against the country and on other charges.

The trial against the accused Naeem, also an accused in the aforementioned case is still pending as he had escaped from the custody of the Kolkata Police near Raigarh railway station in Chhattisgarh on August 24, 2014, while he was being taken to Maharashtra from Kolkata for court attendance, the statement said.

Investigation has established that after his escape from police custody, Naeem continued his activities as an active member of LeT and remained in telephonic and internet contact with his handlers of LeT including but not limited to Abdullah Rashid of Faisalabad, Pakistan.

An Interpol Red Notice has been issued against the handler Rashid.

Besides Rashid, Naeem was also in touch with two other LeT operatives based in Saudi Arabia namely Javed and Habib-ur-Rahman.

"On the directions and with the assistance of these persons, Naeem established hideouts at various places including Varanasi, Gopalganj, Cuttack and Delhi with the help of co-accused persons namely Bedar Bakht and Towseef Ahmad Malik," the NIA said.

They helped him with shelter, logistics, mobile phones and SIMs. They also received, collected and raised funds for Naeem and facilitated him in assuming a fake identity as Sonu alias Sohel Khan, it said.

Naeem also visited Kashmir during May-June, 2017.

There, he contacted active Pakistani LeT terrorists Abu Maaz and Abu Muslim and stayed at the home of accused Towseef Ahmad Malik situated at the Chandgam, Pulwama on many occasions, it said.

He introduced himself to accused Towseef Ahmad Malik as Hamid, a resident of Pakistan. Naeem motivated Malik to work for the LeT, the NIA said.

Malik shared his mobile numbers with Naeem and they subsequently met at Banda, Uttar Pradesh where Malik was studying.

He provided shelter and food to Naeem at his hostel room of Jamia Arabia Madrassa at Banda in July-August 2017, knowing fully well that the accused (Naeem) is a terrorist of the LeT, it said.

He also helped him to identify potential recruits in and around that area.

On the instructors of his LeT handlers, Naeem carried out reconnaissance of hotels, restaurants and other places frequented by Jews, Israeli tourists, at and around Tosh, and Kasol at Kullu in Himachal Pradesh for carrying out jihadi activities.

He recorded videos of these places on his mobile and typed coded messages on his mobile to be sent to his handlers in Pakistan, the statement said.

During investigation, the role of Abdul Samad, a hawala operator, based in Muzaffarnagar was established who in connivance with Gul Nawaz, based in the Saudi Arabia; Dinesh Garg and Adish Kumar Jain, both Jewellers by profession, received, collected and delivered funds received from the Saudi Arabia to Naeem and others, it said.

With this investigation, a large network of LeT operating in the country and posing serious security threat for the country has been neutralised. All the accused persons arrested in this case are presently in judicial custody, the statement said.

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