2012 Bengaluru Lashkar-e-Taiba conspiracy case: NIA files charge-sheet against two LeT terrorists

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a supplementary charge-sheet before the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru, Karnataka, against two accused persons in the Bengaluru Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) conspiracy case. The two accused are-- Sabeel Ahmed aka Motu Doctor (resident of Bengaluru) and Asadulla Khan aks Abu Sufiyan (resident of Hyderabad, Telangana).

The supplementary charge-sheet has been filed under Section 120 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 18, 38, 39 of the UA(P)A in the case. The case was initially registered at Basaveshwaranagar Nagar Police Station, Bengaluru City on August 29, 2012, and pertains to a conspiracy hatched by members of the proscribed terrorist organizations Let and Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI) to commit subversive activities and wage war against the government.

They had procured illegal arms and ammunition for targeted killings of important personalities of the Hindu community in Bangalore and Hubli in Karnataka,  Nanded in Maharashtra and in Hyderabad, Telangana to disturb the communal harmony and strike terror in society. NIA had re-registered the case on November 25, 2012. The NIA had earlier charge-sheeted 17 accused persons in this case after completion of the investigation.

Further investigation has established that accused persons are members of proscribed terrorist organisation LeT. They were involved in the criminal conspiracy along with other accused persons in supporting and furthering the cause of LeT in Damam and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They had actively participated in conspiracy meetings in which terrorist activities like targeted killings of important personalities of the Hindu community in Bangalore and Hubli in Karnataka and Nanded in Maharashtra were planned.

In this case, the NIA court Bengaluru had earlier convicted thirteen accused persons on September 16, 2016, with five years imprisonment and with a fine for their involvement in offences u/s 10A, 13(1) b, 17,18, 38, of  UA(P)A, sec.120 B, 115, 153A, 399,465, 466, 471of IPC, sec.3(1) r/w 25( 1B) (a) of Arms Act, sec.3, 5(1), of Official Secrets Act.

The trial is continuing against earlier charge-sheeted three accused persons. A further investigation of six absconding accused persons continues.