Bengaluru Prison Radicalisation case: NIA conducting searches in 17 places across 7 states
National Investigation Agency is conducting searches in 17 places across 7 states in Bengaluru Prison Radicalisation case amid speculations of Rameshwaram Cafe blast to be linked with Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday, March 5, carried out raids at 17 locations in seven states in connection with its probe into the Bengaluru prison radicalisation case, as per sources.
T Naseer who is a life imprisonment convict and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist is alleged to have radicalised several individuals inside the Bengaluru central prison and instigated them to carry out terror attacks in the country. The Parappana Agrahara Central Prison that houses several accused terrorists became a hotbed for radicalisation.
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Earlier in July, Bengaluru police's Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested five men who were suspected to have been radicalised by the LeT convict at the city's central prison. The CCB had seized arms and ammunition including seven country-made pistols, 45 bullets, four walkie-talkie sets, a dagger and 12 mobile phones; during the July raids. Bengaluru police later arrested one more person.
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The case was then transferred to the NIA on 25 October 2023. On December 13, NIA raided six places in Bengaluru over the suspected radicalisation of prisoners by a Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked convict. The places raided during the search operation included the houses of Mohammad Umar Khan, Tanveer Ahmed, Mohammad Faisal Rabbani and Mohammad Farooq. NIA officials also raided the house of Junaid Ahmed, is a prime suspect.
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In 2017, Junaid and 12 others were arrested in a murder case registered at the RT Nagar police station. Junaid and five others were allegedly radicalised by Nasser during their stay in prison. NIA claimed that the six men "plotted" bomb blasts in Bengaluru at Nasser's behest upon their release from prison.
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Moreover, NIA officials seized digital devices during the search operation, "incriminating" documents and ₹7.3 lakh in cash.
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Additionally, after being named in a red sanders smuggling case, Junaid has been absconding since 2021. As per investigators, he was in touch with the arrested suspects through encrypted communication platforms, and provided them with funds for arms and ammunition.
The agency's Tuesday raid and its connection with Friday’s blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru has not been established yet, but people familiar with the developments informed that they will definitely look into the suspected links. NIA on Monday took over the probe into the cafe blast incident.
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Business NewsNewsBengaluru Prison Radicalisation case: NIA conducting searches in 17 places across 7 states
First Published:5 Mar 2024, 08:34 AM IST
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