Mangalore: 3 held in 2008 on charges of terror and Indian Mujahideen links get life term, 4 acquitted
The terror suspects were arrested from Ullal and at least 122 documents and huge cache of explosives were seized from their possession.
In Short
- A total of 88 witnesses were examined and 62 recorded their statements.
- During the raid, cops recovered 5 live bombs, 19 detonators and other explosives.
- They also found Jihadi literature and Rs 11,39,850 cash.
A lower court in Mangalore awarded life sentence to three terror suspects arrested from various parts of the city in 2008. The third Additional Sessions Court convicted Sayyed Mohammed Naushad, Ahamad Bava Abubacker and Fakeer Ahamed after finding them guilty under the arms act.
A total of 88 witnesses were examined and 62 recorded their statements. At least 122 documents and 155 items were seized from the possession of the accused.
The terror suspects were arrested from Ullal in a joint operation by the Mumbai police, Karnataka's Anti-naxal Force and the Dakshina Kannada district police.
In a pre-dawn operation, the terror network was busted by inspector HM Venkatesh Prasanna of the district crime intelligence Bureau. Mohammed Ali was arrested from Mukkacheri in October 2008.
HUGE CACHE OF EXPLOSIVES RECOVERED
During the raid, the officers recovered 5 live bombs and 10 mobile phones from a house in Thokottu that was rented by the Indian Mujahideen (IM) chief Riyaz Bhatkal.
The police also seized maps, CPU (central processing unit), telephone booms, passports, bank passbooks and a motorcycle under a fake registration. A book titled 'Commander of the Muslim Army' was also seized from the house of one of the terror accused Mohammed Noushad in Pandeshwar.
Noushad had allegedly designed an electronic circuit at a workshop in Ullal for the terror operation which, he later claimed, he had put together for a project of creating a washing machine as part of his college assignment.
Further investigation revealed the existence of 20 electric sticks, 19 detonators and four timers which were later seized from the house of Abubacker.
After gathering more information, the police raided the house of Fakeer at Vittalmaki in Chikamagaluru district and seized around 38 objects including a gun, black oxide, fibre pieces, iron pieces, glass pieces, nylon materials, glycerine bottle and phosphorous, which is required to make bombs.
JIHADI LITERATURE, Rs 11 LAKH SEIZED
During their raids, the police also found Jihadi literature, maps of Gujarat and Rajasthan, a bank passbook, VCDs and Rs 11,39,850 cash.
Judge Pushpanjali Devi pronounced the accused guilty. The convicted are part of what could be called busting of Mangalore's first sleeper cell. Judge SH Pushpanjali Devi declared the trio guilty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, Explosives Act.
Seven suspects were arrested, of which three have been convicted. The other four, who were allegedly accused in the German Bakery bombing, Mohammed Ali of Mukkacherry, his son Javed Ali, Mohammed Rafique and Shabbir Bhatkal alias Shabbir Maulvi were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
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