BENGALURU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for information on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member Junaid Ahmed. The 33-year-old accused, a proclaimed offender, is wanted in a case relating to seizure of arms, ammunition and explosives. The case was registered at Hebbal police station in July 2023. The proclaimed offender, with seven aliases, was a resident of Mallige Layout, Nagashettihalli, in Bengaluru.
NIA has stated that whoever provides any information leading to the arrest of Junaid Ahmed shall be rewarded, and the identity of the informer will be kept secret. Information can be shared on 080-29510900 or 8904241100. Junaid Ahmed goes by the aliases Junaid, JD Jamsheeda, Jaan, Suhana, DJ Ritz, Jameela and Jannu.
In July 2023, Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths arrested five terror suspects who were radicalized at Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agahara by an LeT operative to carry out terror attacks in the city. Seven countrymade pistols, 45 live rounds of ammunition, walkie-talkie sets, a dagger and 12 mobile phones were recovered from the accused.
The five were arrested in Hebbal police station limits. An FIR was registered against the five terror suspects along with LeT operative T Naseer alias Ummer Haji, and Junaid Ahmed. The five arrested, along with Junaid Ahmed, had allegedly abducted and killed Noor Ahmed over suspected business rivalry in RT Nagar police limits in 2017. After serving imprisonment as undertrials for almost 18 months, the five arrested along with Junaid Ahmed had been enlarged on bail. The fivesome was doing menial jobs after their release.
Junaid Ahmed was again arrested in 2020 for smuggling red sanders and was back in the same jail for another five months. The next year, he was arrested in a dacoity case. After coming out on bail, he is said to have fled the country and is presently taking shelter in a Middle Eastern country.
On July 8 last year, NIA had arrested Junaid’s mother Anees Fathima on charges of providing logistical support and funds to T Naseer inside Bengaluru Central Prison. She was also involved in handling hand grenades and walkie-talkies. Along with Fathima, assistant sub-inspector Chand Pasha from the City Armed Reserve-South and Dr Nagaraj, psychiatrist of Bengaluru Central Prison, were also arrested. On January 2 this year, NIA had charged Fathima, Pasha and Nagaraj in the 2023 Bengaluru prison radicalisation case.