In the pursuit of unearthing culprits involved in the radicalization case within Bengaluru prison, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted search operations at 17 locations spanning seven states on Tuesday. These raids unfolded in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, among other regions, and are intricately linked to the individuals entangled in the terrorism conspiracy related to the aforementioned case.
On January 12 of the current year, the NIA formally accused eight individuals, inclusive of a life-term convict and two fugitives, in connection to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Prison radicalization and ‘fidayeen’ (suicide) attack plot in Bengaluru. Among the indicted is T Naseer, serving a life sentence in Bengaluru’s Central Prison since 2013, hailing from Kerala’s Kannur district. Junaid Ahmed, also known as JD, and Salman Khan are suspects believed to have evaded authorities.
The remaining five identified individuals are Syed Suhail Khan, also known as Suhail, Mohammed Umar, also known as Umar, Zahid Tabrez, also known as Zahid, Syed Mudassir Pasha, and Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, also known as Sadath. All eight accused face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosives Substances Act, and the Arms Act.
The case originated from an investigation initiated by Bengaluru City Police on July 18, 2023, subsequent to the discovery of arms, ammunition, hand grenades, and walkie-talkies in possession of seven suspects. This confiscation occurred during a gathering at the residence of one of the accused.
Upon taking over the case in October 2023, the NIA found that T. Naseer, a figure with a history of involvement in blast cases, established connections with the other accused during their confinement in Bengaluru Prison in 2017. While Salam faced imprisonment in a POCSO case, the others were entangled in a murder case.
Naseer strategically arranged for their transfer to his quarters after assessing their potential, with the intention of radicalization and recruitment into LeT. Initiating with the recruitment of Junaid and Salman to advance LeT activities, he later conspired with Junaid to extend this influence to the remaining accused.
Following his release from prison, Junaid purportedly fled abroad after committing additional offenses. NIA investigations revealed that Junaid sent funds from overseas to his co-accused, supporting LeT activities both inside and outside the prison. Collaborating with Salman, he orchestrated the delivery of arms, ammunition, hand grenades, and walkie-talkies to the others, with the intention of executing a ‘fidayeen’ attack and facilitating Naseer’s escape from police custody en route to court.
Instructing his co-accused to pilfer used police caps for the attack and to engage in arson on government buses as a trial run, Junaid’s plot was thwarted with the seizure of arms in July of the previous year. Subsequent investigations in the case are ongoing, aligning with the provisions of Section 173(8) of the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC).
These recent operations transpired just two days after the Ministry of Home Affairs transferred the investigation of Bengaluru’s The Rameshwaram Cafe blast to the NIA. The anti-terror agency initiated its inquiry by re-registering the case, responding to the explosion that occurred on March 1 in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area, injuring several individuals during the bustling lunch hour.