NEW DELHI: A day after taking over the probe into the case relating to Rameshwaram Café low-intensity IED blast, the anti-terror federal probe agency NIA on Tuesday raided multiple locations in six states as part of its investigation in the Bengaluru Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Prison radicalisation case, officials in the agency said.
The officials said that the raiding teams seized a host of digital devices and incriminating documents, along with cash, adding that the move has been intended to expand the ambit of investigation in the case.
A senior NIA official said, “The NIA teams swooped down at the premises of suspects in various places across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Punjab, Gujarat and West Bengal this morning. They recovered 25 mobile phones, 6 laptops and 4 storage devices, besides various incriminating documents, and cash, apart from the currency notes of various countries.”
Those, whose premises were covered during the “extensive search”, included that of Naveed in Mangaluru (Karnataka), Syed Khailin Bengaluru (Karnataka), Bijju in Kannada (Karnataka), Mayur Chakrobraborty in South 24 Parganas (West Bengal), Navjot Singh in Gurdaspur (Punjab), Hardik Kumar in Mehsana (Gujarat), Karan Kumarin Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Johnson in Kasargod (Kerala), Musthaq Ahmed Sathikali and Mubith in Ramnathapuram (Tamil Nadu) and Hassan Al Bassam in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), the officials said, adding that a place in Telangana was also searched.
According to the officials, the NIA has been investigating the case since October 25, 2023 and the agency had, on January 12, 2024, filed a charge sheet against eight persons, including absconding accused Junaid Ahmed and Salman Khan, under various sections of the IPC, the UAPA, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
“Investigations had revealed that the absconders had established a network of individuals across India to promote the activities of LeT and to route funds to various individuals anonymously,” said another NIA official.
The case, relating to radicalisation of inmates in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, by a LeT terrorist, was originally registered by the Bengaluru City Police following the seizure of arms and ammunition, including 7 Pistols, 4 hand grenades, one magazine and 45 live rounds along with 4 walkie-talkies, the NIA said, adding that five accused were initially arrested and their interrogation had led to the arrest of one more, taking the total arrests in the case to six.
The LeT operative and kingpin, T Nasir, who radicalised these five people in the central jail in Bengaluru, is an accused in the case along with Junaid Ahmed, who is absconding, the officials said, adding that further investigations in the case continued and efforts are on to nab the absconders.