2 get jail term by NIA court for being part of international terrorist module

Guwahati: A special court of the National Investigation Agency here has sentenced two more accused for being part of an international terrorist module, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

Mufti Suleiman Ali and Imran Hossen alias Imran Hossain have been punished with imprisonment and fine under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case in which seven accused were earlier convicted and sentenced by the special court, it said.

The two have been sentenced to simple imprisonment of six months and a fine of Rs 500 (with 14 additional days of SI in case of payment default), according to the statement issued by the NIA.

They have also been punished with rigorous imprisonment for the period already undergone (two years, eight months and 21 days), it said.

The conviction came in the case registered in March 2022. It relates to an ABT (Ansarullah Bangla Team) module affiliated with the proscribed international terror organisation -- Al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS), the probe agency said.

Headed by Bangladeshi national Saiful Islam alias Haroon Rashid, the module was active in Barpeta district of Assam, it said.

The NIA had originally chargesheeted eight accused in the case in August 2022 and had subsequently filed a supplementary charge sheet against two others in August 2023.