Bengaluru prison radicalisation case: NIA raids multiple places across 7 states

The Bengaluru City Police had originally registered the case following the seizure of arms and ammunition, including seven pistols, four hand grenades, one magazine and 45 live rounds, and four walkie-talkies in July last year.

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted raids in multiple places in seven states in connection with the Bengaluru Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) prison radicalisation case. The raids were held on the premises of suspects in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab, Gujarat and West Bengal.

NIA investigators searched the premises belonging to Naveed from Mangaluru, Syed Khail from Bengaluru, Bijju from Dakshina Kannada, Mayur Chakrobraborty from West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas, Navjot Singh from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, Hardik Kumar from Gujarat’s Mehsana, Karan Kumar from Ahmedabad, Johnson from Kasargod in Kerala, Musthaq Ahmed Sathikali and Mubith, both from Ramnathapuram in Tamil Nadu and Hassan Al Bassam from Chennai.

The searches yielded 25 mobile phones, six laptops and four storage devices, besides various incriminating documents, and cash, apart from the currency notes of various countries, the Central agency said in a statement.

The case relating to the radicalisation of inmates in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison by a LeT terrorist, T Naseer from Kannur in Kerala, was first registered by the Bengaluru police in July 2023 after they seized arms and ammunition, including seven pistols, four hand grenades, one magazine and 45 live rounds along with four walkie-talkies, the agency said.

The NIA took over the case later and has been investigating it since October 12. On January 12, the Central agency charge-sheeted eight persons, including absconding accused Junaid Ahmed and Salman Khan, under various sections of IPC, UA(P) Act, 1967; Arms Act, 1959 and Explosive Substances Act, 1884.

The remaining accused were Syed Suhail Khan alias 'Suhail', Mohammed Umar alias 'Umar', Zahid Tabrez alias 'Zahid', Syed Mudassir Pasha and Mohammed Faisal Rabbani alias 'Sadath'.

“Investigations had revealed that the absconders had established a network of individuals across India to promote the activities of LeT and to route funds to various individuals anonymously,” the NIA said.