NIA awards 10-year jail term to four IM operatives for plotting blast across India

NIA Court:  A Special Court of National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday sentenced 10 years rigorous imprisonment to four persons in the Indian Mujahideen (IM) conspiracy case relating to the plot hatched by Pak-backed terrorists to trigger bomb blasts across India.

It is found that the four accused were in close association with IM members, including Pakistan-based key accused Riyaz Bhatkal and Yasin Bhatkal, based in India. According to the anti-terror agency, the four accused had done recce of important places, including Hyderabad and Delhi, and had also procured explosives as well as arms and ammunition.

The terrorists who were able to go include Danish Ansari (Darbhanga, Bihar), Aftab Alam (Purnia, Bihar), Imran Khan (Nanded, Maharashtra) and Obaid-ur-Rehman (Hyderabad, Telangana). The four were convicted on July 7 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. All four were arrested between January and March 2013.

As part of the sentence pronounced on Wednesday, the special judge also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on accused Danish Ansari and Rs 10,000 on Aftab Alam. The anti-terror agency said the four accused had conducted recce at several places including Hyderabad and Delhi and procured explosives as well as arms and ammunition.

The special court had earlier framed charges against the four and others on March 31 this year. Others identified included Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar, Zia-ur-Rehman, Tehseen Akhtar and Haider Ali. Done as them.

The case pertains to a conspiracy hatched by members of the Indian Mujahideen, which is responsible for carrying out various blasts in the country. These include the March 2006 Varanasi blasts, July 2006 Mumbai serial blasts, serial blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad and UP courts, Lucknow in November 2007, twin blasts in Hyderabad in August 2007, besides Jaipur serial blasts, Delhi serial blasts and Ahmedabad serial blasts in 2008.

The NIA said the Indian Mujahideen was also behind the 2010 Chinnaswamy, Bangalore stadium blasts and the 2013 Hyderabad twin blasts.

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