NIA files charge sheet against five alleged IM operatives

New Delhi, Jul 17: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today filed its charge sheet in a Delhi court against five suspected operatives of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) for their alleged involvement in hatching a conspiracy to carry out terror strikes in the country.

The charge sheet has been filed against Mohammad Danish Ansari, Mohammad Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, Syed Maqbool and Obaid-Ur-Rehman under various penal provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the IPC relating to conspiracy to commit certain offences against the state.

The charge sheet was filed before District Judge I S Mehta who fixed it for consideration for tomorrow, the court sources said. In its charge sheet, NIA has said that the five persons were active members of the banned terror outfit and were hatching a conspiracy to carry terror acts in the country.

NIA also said its probe against 12 absconding accused, including IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, is still going on. The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against Riyaz Bhatkal and nine other alleged operatives of IM in connection with the case registered against them by NIA.

The NBWs were issued against Pakistan-based Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Mohsin Chaudhary, Amir Reza Khan, Dr Shahnawaz Alam, Asadullah Akhtar, Ariz Khan, Mohd Khalid, Mirza Shadab Beg and Mohd Sajid, who all are alleged IM operatives.

NIA had earlier alleged in the court that accused Maqbool and Imran had resided in Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar area where two bombs exploded on February 21 this year, claiming 16 lives. The blasts in Hyderabad were triggered by IEDs planted near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar area.

PTI