Mumbai: Three get 10 years in jail in 2012 terror case

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The special NIA court on Tuesday sentenced three people, arrested in 2012 from Nanded in Maharashtra for conspiring to kill Hindu leaders and journalists to create unrest in the country, to 10 years in prison. Special judge D E Kothalikar acquitted two other accused for lack of evidence.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had in 2012 arrested five persons from Nanded. The case was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The court on Tuesday convicted Mohammed Akram, Mohammad Muzammil and Mohammed Sadique under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Arms Act and sentenced them to 10 years' imprisonment. Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Illiyas were acquitted for want of evidence.

As per the NIA, Akram travelled to Saudi Arabia on the pretext of seeking employment and during his stay there he was introduced to various operatives of the Pakistan-based terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

He, along with his handlers, hatched a conspiracy while in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to carry out targeted killings of prominent Hindu leaders, journalists, and police officers in various parts of India including Nanded, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, the NIA said.

The accused were subsequently arrested in India before they could execute the conspiracy, the agency told the court.