How ISI turned Karnataka assassination plot into an espionage activity

Bengaluru, Dec 23: There are many dimensions to the assassination plot that was busted in Karnataka in the year 2013. The plot basically was hatched in Saudi Arabia by a group of persons alleged to be operatives of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. They had planned on killing several Hindu leaders and journalists in Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.

However, after the National Investigating Agency took over the probe there have been new dimensions that have been discovered which show that the case went beyond an assassination plot and there was an angle of espionage too involved in it.

The espionage:

The NIA is currently fighting a legal battle with some of the accused persons on whether to share the evidence or not. The Supreme Court will take a final call on that issue. [Supreme court will decide on how much evidence can be shared with a terror accused]

The NIA says that the probe is on and it was the ISI which came into the picture and sought details of sensitive installations. The material that the NIA claims it found was on the laptop of one accused Ubedullah Bahadur a technician from Hubli. He was on his way to China when he was arrested in 2013 and according to the fifth supplementary chargesheet filed by the NIA, he had information about sensitive installations.

On his laptop, the NIA had found that he possessed information about the deployment of armed forces, information relating to the DRDO and also on radars. This data was sent to the military intelligence for verification and in its response the NIA was told that any possession of such information could be detrimental to national security.

The NIA also stated that while the assassination plot was being planned, the ISI got wind of the same and ordered some of the youth to undertake espionage activity. The ISI found that some of the accused persons were trying to reach Iran and then go to Afghanistan in order to support the Taliban. However these persons were sent back to India and ordered to carry out espionage activity according to the investigation conducted by the NIA.

The accused persons have however denied these allegations. Ubedullah says that the material was dumped on his laptop. He has also sought from the NIA for the evidence against him.

The NIA however, pointed out that it could not share the evidence. The NIA was ordered by both the trial court and the Karnataka High Court to share the evidence.

Now the NIA has decided to approach the Supreme Court against the orders of the trial and high court.

OneIndia News