bengaluru-prison-radicalization-case-triggers-multi-state-nia-raids

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) launched multiple raids across seven states on Tuesday, in connection with a case involving the radicalisation of prisoners by a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist in Karnataka, according to an official statement.

The raids, conducted as part of the Bengaluru prison radicalisation case, are currently underway at 17 locations across the seven states. Further details are awaited, the official confirmed.

In January, the NIA had filed a charge-sheet against eight individuals in the case. Among the accused were T Naseer from Kerala's Kannur, serving a life sentence in Bengaluru's central prison since 2013, along with Junaid Ahmed alias "JD" and Salman Khan, suspected to have fled abroad.

The case was initially registered by the Bengaluru City Police on July 18 last year, following the seizure of arms, ammunition, hand grenades, and walkie-talkies from seven of the accused individuals. The seizure occurred during a raid at the residence of one of the suspects.

According to the NIA, which took over the case in October last year, investigations revealed that Naseer, previously involved in several blast cases, had come into contact with the other accused while they were all incarcerated in the Bengaluru prison in 2017.

Naseer allegedly orchestrated their transfer to his barrack after assessing their potential, with the intention of radicalising and recruiting them into the proscribed terror group, LeT.

The agency stated that Naseer successfully radicalized and recruited Ahmed and Khan to further LeT activities. He subsequently conspired with Ahmed to radicalise and recruit the other accused individuals.

Additionally, Naseer allegedly conspired with Khan to supply arms, ammunition, hand grenades, and walkie-talkies to the others, as part of a plan to execute a "fidayeen (suicide)" attack and aid Naseer's escape from police custody en route to court.

Ahmed also purportedly instructed his co-accused to steal used police caps for the attack and commit arson on government buses as a practice run. However, the plot was thwarted with the seizure of the arms in July last year.