NIA charge sheet against 'Islamic State arms supplier'

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a supplementary charge sheet against a man suspected to be associated with the Islamic State group.

The charge sheet against Shihabudeen alias Sirajudeen alias Khalid alias Rajesh was submitted to a special NIA court under IPC section 120B, section 25 (1)(a) of the Arms Act and sections 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

In a statement, the central agency said that Shihabudeen was part of the al-Hind terrorist module first busted by police in Suddaguntepalya, South Bengaluru. On January 10, 2020, city police registered a case under IPS sections 153A, 121A, 120B, 122, 123, 124A and 125 and sections 13, 18 and 20 of the terror law. The NIA later took over the case and re-registered it on January 23, 2020.

Police had named 17 people in the case, including Gurappanapalya resident and alleged mastermind Mehboob Pasha alias Abdullah.

Police had said that Pasha and another suspect named Khaja Moideen alias Jalal had formed a militant group by radicalising young Muslims in South India, and made Bengaluru their base. They held several “criminal conspiracy meetings” in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from April 2019 onwards.

The NIA said the group “propagated the IS ideology and plotted to collect arms and explosives for murdering police officers and pro-Hindu politicians”.

Shihabudeen was a member of this group, and “procured and supplied” arms and ammunition to other accused at Jalal’s behest. The arms were used in the murder of Y Wilson, a special sub-inspector of police in Tamil Nadu, the NIA said.