Assam: Additional Sentences for 2 Terrorists Linked to 'Ansarullah Bangla Team' by NIA Court

Synopsis

On January 30, the NIA court in Guwahati convicted two more individuals, Mufti Suleiman Ali and Imran Hossen, in the Ansarullah Bangla Team case. They received six months of simple imprisonment and fines for their involvement with the terrorist organization linked to Al Qaeda.

Key Takeaways

Two more ABT members sentenced.
Sentences include imprisonment and fines.
Case related to Al Qaeda's Indian operations.
14 associates arrested under Operation Praghat.
Further investigations are ongoing.

Guwahati, Jan 30 (NationPress) The Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Guwahati has imposed sentences on two more individuals involved in the ABT (Ansarullah Bangla Team) case of Assam, according to sources on Thursday.

NIA sources indicated that Mufti Suleiman Ali and Imran Hossen a.k.a. Imran Hossain received penalties consisting of imprisonment and fines under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Previously, a total of seven others were convicted and sentenced in connection with the same case by the special court. The latest two individuals have been sentenced to a simple imprisonment (SI) of 6 months along with a fine of Rs 500, with an additional 14 days of SI to be served in case of non-payment.

Moreover, they have also been subjected to Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) for the duration already served (2 years 8 months 21 days) as per the UAPA Act.

The case was initiated in March 2022 and concerns an ABT module linked to the banned international terrorist organization, Al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS).

This module, led by Bangladeshi national Saiful Islam alias Haroon Rashid, was operational in Barpeta district of Assam.

In August 2022, NIA filed a chargesheet against eight accused in this case, followed by a supplementary chargesheet against two more in August 2023. Further investigations and trials are ongoing.

In the meantime, the Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) has successfully arrested 14 associates of the ABT, a Bangladesh-based terrorist group connected to AQIS from Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala.

As part of their initiative, dubbed 'Operation Praghat', the STF detained these 14 ABT associates.

According to STF sources, the 14 detainees, which include Bangladeshi nationals, were operating under the guidance of Md Farhan Israk, a close aide of Jasimuddin Rahmani, the leader of ABT. The ABT sent a Bangladeshi national, Md Sad Radi alias Shab Sheikh, from Rajshahi, Bangladesh, to India to disseminate their extremist ideology among like-minded individuals across the country.

Sad Radi (32) was captured in Kerala in December of the previous year.