NIA court sentences 5th accused of Indian Mujahideen conspiracy case to 10 years imprisonment

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Delhi sentenced Syed Maqbool, one of the accused in the Indian Mujahideen conspiracy case to 10 years of imprisonment on Thursday. The special judge of the NIA special court convicted Maqbool on September 22, 2023. Among 11 people, he is the fifth accused against whom sentence has been pronounced.

Maqbool is a resident of Maharashtra's Nanded district and was arrested in the case on February 28, 2013, for his active involvement with members of Indian Mujahideen based in Pakistan and India and for being involved in the crime and conspiracy.

According to the revelations of the NIA investigation, the accused maintained close ties with key figures of the Indian Mujahideen, including Riyaz Bhatkal, who is based in Pakistan, and Imran Khan and Obaid-Ur-Rehman, who are located in India. "They hatched a conspiracy to carry out explosive attacks at various locations within India, with Hyderabad being a primary target. Extensive reconnaissance of important sites, including those in Hyderabad, was also conducted."

The case pertains to the conspiracy hatched by the members of the Indian Mujahideen, a group responsible for organising a series of devastating blasts across the country, stated NIA.

Based on NIA's report, these acts of terror include:-

• Varanasi blasts on March 7, 2006
• Mumbai serial blasts on July 11, 2006
• Uttar Pradesh courts serial blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad
• Lucknow on November 23, 2007
• Hyderabad twin blasts on August 25, 2007
• Jaipur serial blasts in 2008
• Delhi serial blasts in 2008
• Ahmedabad serial blasts on July 26, 2008
• Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore in 2010
• Hyderabad twin blasts in 2013

On July 12, 2023, four accused identified as Danish Ansari, Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, and Obaid-Ur-Rehman, were found guilty under Sections 18, 19, 38(2), and 39(2) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case. They were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment.