B'luru prison radicalisation: NIA court sentences 7 in case linked with Lashkar-e-Taiba

The court said that the sentences imposed on them shall run concurrently.

Bengaluru: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has convicted and sentenced seven in the Bengaluru prison radicalisation case linked with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror organisation. The special court sentenced them to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment.

The convicted are Tadiyandavida Naseer alias T Naseer, Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha alias Mudassir, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani and Salman Khan.

The NIA case was the prime accused in the case T Naseer, a life convict in the LeT recruitment case and an under-trial prisoner in Bengaluru serial blasts case, used to select gullible other under-trial prisoners and would get them transferred to his barrack in the prison. He would radicalise, convert, in case they belonged to another religion and recruit them for terror activities of the LeT.

The NIA chargesheet stated that Naseer radicalised and recruited eight prisoners while they were lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru from 2017 onwards. Naseer was regularly in contact with co-accused and others through normal calls and encrypted communication platforms from the prison and destroyed the mobile phones and SIM cards on registration of the case and, the NIA said. He had also planned to escape from the judicial custody enroute to court, the NIA said.

The court convicted seven accused for offences under IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The sentences imposed on them shall run concurrently, the court said. P Prasanna Kumar, Special Public Prosecutor, had conducted the case for NIA in the case.

A special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court has convicted and sentenced an accused in the 2022 Shivamogga ISIS terror conspiracy case. The convict Arafath Ali has been sentenced to six years’ rigorous imprisonment. In November 2025, the court sentenced two other accused in this case and sentenced them to six years’ rigorous imprisonment.

According to NIA chargesheet, Arafath was radicalised and recruited by Mussavir Hussain Shazib (accused-11) and Abdul Matheen Taha (accused-12) while they were in Thirthahalli near Shivamogga and in Bengaluru. In December 2019, Arafat along with Mohammed Shariq (accused-1) wrote graffiti in Thirthahalli during the CAA and NRC protests.

In January 2020, as per the instructions of an online handler, Arafat fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) anticipating his arrest. The NIA chargesheet stated that two other accused; Mohamed Shariq (accused-1) and Maaz Muneer Ahmed (accused-2) wrote graffiti at two places in Mangaluru city supporting terror organisations Islamic State (IS), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Taliban. Arafat was arrested on his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi in September 2023.

The special court convicted Arafat for offences under IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act Sachin C, special public prosecutor, conducted the case for NIA in the case.