WAnti-terror agency NIA on Tuesday conducted searches at 17 locations in seven states in connection with a case related to radicalisation of prisoners by a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist in a prison in Karnataka's Bengaluru, an agency spokesperson said.
The Bengaluru City Police had originally registered the case following the seizure of arms and ammunition, including seven pistols, four hand grenades, one magazine and 45 live rounds, and four walkie-talkies in July last year.
Six people have so far been arrested in the case.
The LeT operative and kingpin, T Nasir, who is said to have radicalised five od these arrested people in the central jail in Bengaluru, is an accused in the case along with Junaid Ahmed, who is still absconding.
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The raids were reportedly underway in Bengaluru and Tamil Nadu among other states.
What Is The Bengaluru Prison Radicalisation Case
On January 12, the NIA charge-sheeted eight persons, including life convict T Nasir and two absconders, in the Bengaluru Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Prison radicalization and 'fidayeen' (suicide) attack conspiracy case.
T Nasir of Kerala's Kannur district, who has been serving a life sentence in Central Prison in Bengaluru since 2013, while Junaid Ahmed, alias JD and Salman Khan are suspected to have fled abroad. The others have been identified as Syed Suhail Khan alias Suhail, Mohammed Umar alias Umar, Zahid Tabrez alias Zahid, Syed Mudassir Pasha and Mohammed Faisal Rabbani alias Sadath.
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All eight accused persons have been charge-sheeted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosives Substances Act and the Arms Act, a news agency ANI report mentioned.
The NIA took over the investigation into the case in October 2023.
Investigations revealed that T Nasir, who was involved in several blast cases, had come in contact with the other accused while they were all lodged in Bengaluru Prison in 2017. While Salam was in prison in a POCSO case, the others were involved in a murder case.
Nasir had managed to get them all shifted to his barracks after assessing their "potential" with a view to radicalise and recruite them into the LeT. He first managed to radicalise and recruit Junaid and Salman to further the activities of the LeT; thereafter, he conspired with Junaid to radicalise and recruit the other accused.
Junaid, following his release from Prison, was believed to have fled abroad after committing some more offences.
