BENGALURU: The Special Court for NIA Cases convicted three Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives for hatching a conspiracy to carry out blasts ahead of the then US President Barack Obama’s visit to India for Republic Day in 2015, as per instructions from Pakistan.
Dr Syed Ismail Afaaque, Abdul Subair and Saddam Husen, all residents of Bhatkal, have been convicted of offences punishable under the provisions of IPC, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosive Substances Act. Afaaque married Arsala Abeer of Karachi in Pakistan.
A case in this regard was registered at Pulakeshinagar police station in the city in 2015 and it was investigated and chargesheeted by the then Central Crime Branch ACP Thammaiah MK under the guidance of the then Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) M Chandrashekar. SPP Shankar Bikkannanavar led the prosecution.
Quantum of punishment today
Judge Gangadhara CM convicted the accused on Monday and posted the case to December 18 for imposing the quantum of punishment. Riyaz Ahmed Sayeedi and Jainullabuddin, also from Bhatkal, were acquitted. Other accused Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Alif and Sameer are absconding.
According to the prosecution, a police team, while gathering information in the Church Street blast case, learnt that explosives were being gathered and suspects Dr Afaaque and Abdul Subair, who left Bhatkal for Bengaluru on the night of January 7, 2015, were apprehended on arrival at Frazer Town, while Saddam Husen was arrested in Bhatkal.
Subsequently, ‘Darul Khaira’, a house, was searched and detonators, gelatin sticks, pipe bombs, explosive substances, circuit boards, timers, gunpowder and other material used in bombs, and SIM cards of UAE were recovered. Electric detonators were also seized from Dr Afaaque’s house.
Another suspect Riyaz Ahmed Sayeedi was picked up from Mangaluru airport when he was about to leave the country. Interrogation revealed that the four suspects were members of some banned terrorist organisations.
Afaaque, on the pretext of visiting his in-laws, visited Pakistan frequently and met Alif and Riyaz Bhatkal, and planned ‘jihadi’ activities.
He was trained in bomb-making by Pakistan’s ISI. Dr Afaaque’s Air Arabia tickets were booked from an IP address in Rawalpindi (ISI Headquarters).
The chats between the accused revealed that the suspects, who collected explosives, were in communication with people in Pakistan and were preparing IEDs.