HYDERABAD: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in New Delhi, on Thursday, sentenced Syed Maqbool to 10 years of imprisonment for his role in the 2013 Dilshuknagar blast, in which 18 persons were killed and 131 were injured. He was convicted under Sections 38(2) and 39(2) of the UA(P) Act. Ten others connected to the case were convicted in March and July this year.
“Syed Maqbool of Nanded, Maharashtra, was arrested in the case on February 28, 2013, for his active involvement with members of the Indian Mujahideen based in Pakistan and India, and his involvement in the crime and conspiracy. It has been revealed that he maintained close ties with key figures of the Indian Mujahideen, including Riyaz Bhatkal in Pakistan, and Imran Khan and Obaid-Ur-Rehman in India. They conspired to carry out explosive attacks at various locations in India, with Hyderabad as a primary target. Extensive reconnaissance of important sites, including those in Hyderabad, was also conducted,” a statement by the NIA read.
The case is related to a conspiracy by members of the Indian Mujahideen, a group responsible for a series of devastating blasts across the country, the NIA added. These acts of terror include the Varanasi blasts on March 7, 2006, the Mumbai serial blasts on July 11, 2006, the UP courts serial blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad, and Lucknow on November 23, 2007, the Hyderabad twin blasts on August 25, 2007, the Jaipur serial blasts in 2008, the Delhi serial blasts in 2008, the Ahmedabad serial blasts on July 26, 2008, the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bengaluru in 2010 and the Hyderabad twin blasts in 2013.
In July, four persons — Danish Ansari, Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, and Obaid-ur-Rahman — were found guilty under Sections 18, 19, 38(2), and 39(2) of the UA(P) Act in the Indian Mujahideen conspiracy case and were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. Additionally, in August, Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar, Zia-ur-Rahman, Tehsin Akhter and Hyder Ali were sentenced by the NIA Special Court in New Delhi under Sections 121 and 122 of the IPC, as well as Sections 17, 18, 19, 21, 38, 39, and 40 of the UA(P) Act. While a total of 11 persons have been convicted in the case, the trial of the remaining six accused persons is ongoing, the statement said.