BENGALURU: A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the city has convicted and sentenced Mohammed Haneef Khan, a key accused in a 2020 ISIS-linked terror conspiracy case.
Khan was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 48,000 in the Al-Hind ISIS case. "He is the first accused to be convicted in the case, in which NIA has charge-sheeted 20 accused, all of whom have been arrested," the central counter terrorism agency stated in an official release on Tuesday.
"Khan, who pleaded guilty during the trial that began in October 2025, was found to be part of the recce team that had visited Shivanasamudra and Gundlupet to identify deep forest locations for training and establishing hideouts for Al-Hind members. The aim of the conspiracy was to create ISIS/ Daishwilayah (province)," added NIA.
As per the investigation, the conspiracy was masterminded by Mehaboob Pasha, the prime accused who had conducted several meetings at his residence at Guruppanapalya in Bengaluru.
"Conspiracy to carry out targeted killings to spread communal riots and promote the anti-national agenda of the proscribed ISIS terror outfit was hatched in these meetings. Pasha, along with his relatives/co-accused, had conspired to procure arms and explosives to further ISIS activities in the region.
He had, in fact, provided Haneef with two pistols and 60 live rounds to carry out violent activities. It was Haneef who drove several accused from Bengaluru to West Bengal in a rented car as part of the conspiracy," the agency explained.