NIA files charge sheet against 11 JMB terrorists in Bengaluru special court

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against 11 people in the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) dacoity cases reported in Bengaluru in February 2018. One of them is a Bangaldeshi national.

The charge sheet states that the accused intended to commit the dacoities to raise to raise funds for a "terrorist" cause. The dacoities were reported from four places in KR Puram, Kothanur and at two places in Attibele.

The accused named in the charge sheet are Najir Sheikh alias Patla Anasaged, 25, from Murshidabad, West Bengal; Arif Hussain alias Mota Anasaged, 24, from Barpeta, Assam; Asif Ikbal alias Nademaged, 23, of Murshidabad district, West Bengal; Jahidul Islam alias Kausaraged, 40, of Jamalpur district, Bangladesh; Kador Kazi, 33, Habibur Rahaman S K, 28, both from Birbhum, West Bengal; Mohammed Dilwar Hossain, 28, of Malda, West Bengal; Mustafizur Rahman, 39, of Birbhum district, West Bengal, Adil Sheikh, 27, Abdul Karim, 21, and Mosaraf Hossain, 22, all from Murshidabad, West Bengal.

The accused have been charged under IPC sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen offender), 395 (dacoity), 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grevious hurt), 399 (preparation for dacoity), 400 (associated for purpose of committing robbery), and 458 (lurking, house trespass or house breaking) and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA re-registered four cases against the accused on April 2020 over the February 2018 dacoities. It says the accused intended to raise funds for the cause of the JMB on the pretext of “Maal-e-Ghanimat” (spoils of war).

According to the agency, the main accused Jahidul Islam alias Kausar disclosed and pointed out all the places where he and his associates had taken shelter, identified shops where they had procured instruments for using the same in dacoities and the houses where the docoities were committed.

The NIA said Jahidul Islam was associated with the JMB, a proscribed terrorist organisation, and was involved in promoting its activities in India. He is also a prime accused in serial blasts in Bangladesh carried out by the JMB in 2005.

Jahidul Islam has also been accused of being the main conspirator in the Burdwan bomb blast and Bodh Gaya blast cases.

The NIA said the group had established the network forged by JMB members in India for committing terrorist and subversive activities by procuring arms and explosives, recruiting youth and conducting training camps.