NIA Special Court Sentences Another Accused to 6 Years in Bengaluru-Shivamogga IS Conspiracy Case

• Huzair Farhan Baig convicted and fined Rs 58,000; NIA says 3 of 12 accused have now been sentenced

New Delhi : A Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has convicted accused Huzair Farhan Baig alias Huzair in a terror conspiracy case linked to the proscribed terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS). The court sentenced him to six years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of Rs 58,000.

The case was initially registered by the Karnataka Police on September 19, 2022. The NIA subsequently took over the investigation and re-registered the case on November 15, 2022, as RC-46/2022/NIA/DLI.

According to the NIA, its investigation uncovered a clandestine IS module operating in Thirthahalli town of Shivamogga district, Karnataka.

Online handler allegedly guided the module

The investigation found that the accused were allegedly being mentored and guided by an online handler using the name "Colonel." The handler was later identified as Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, who remains an absconding accused in several NIA terror-related cases.

The NIA alleged that Faisal was involved in radicalising and recruiting young people to propagate the ideology of the proscribed organisation and further terrorist activities in India.

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Accused allegedly arranged hideout in Bengaluru

As per the NIA's investigation, Huzair Farhan Baig was radicalised and recruited by co-accused Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Syed Yasin.

The agency alleged that, acting on Maaz Muneer Ahmed's instructions, Baig arranged a hideout in Bengaluru for terrorist activities. He also allegedly received cryptocurrency funds in accounts belonging to his friends. The cryptocurrency was subsequently converted into fiat currency and used to make payments related to the hideout, according to the investigation.

The NIA said the funds were allegedly arranged by Maaz Muneer Ahmed through the online handler.

Four chargesheets filed against 12 accused

The NIA said that, so far, it has filed four chargesheets against 12 accused persons in the case. With the latest conviction, three accused have already been convicted and sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment along with fines, according to the agency.

The investigation is continuing to trace and establish the whereabouts of Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, whom the NIA has identified as the alleged online handler who planned and conspired to establish the module involved in the case.