Bengaluru jail psychiatrist helped LeT terror convict with phones, security info: Report

Three have been arrested for providing support to Lashkar-e-Taiba operative in high-security prison.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured six days’ custody of three individuals accused of aiding a convicted terrorist serving a life sentence in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, Indian Express reported.

This latest development is tied to a larger case first uncovered in July 2023.

Among those arrested are Dr Nagaraj S, a psychiatrist posted at the prison; Chan Pasha, an assistant sub-inspector with the City Armed Reserve (CAR); and Anees Fathima, a resident of RT Nagar and mother of absconding accused Junaid Ahmed, the report added.

The trio was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly providing logistical and material support to Thadiyantavide Naseer, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative currently imprisoned at Parappana Agrahara.

At a hearing in the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the agency accused the three of facilitating illegal communications and transactions inside the high-security prison, the report further added.

Special Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar argued that Fathima had played a key role in funnelling funds between several co-accused. Her involvement, the NIA claims, helped sustain covert operations connected to the LeT network.

Assistant sub-inspector Pasha is alleged to have leaked classified information about Naseer’s police escort arrangements to external associates of the terror group. The NIA claims he received monetary compensation in return for sharing this operational intelligence.

Meanwhile, Dr Nagaraj stands accused of abusing his official access inside the prison to smuggle mobile phones to Naseer. These phones, the agency believes, were used to orchestrate activities linked to LeT from within the jail. The NIA also revealed that Nagaraj may have been assisted by a woman named Pavithra in executing the smuggling.

The special court granted the agency custody of all three individuals until July 14 for further interrogation. The arrests were presented in court by NIA Deputy Superintendent of Police Susheela.

This latest development is tied to a larger case first uncovered in July 2023, when the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch raided a residence in Kodigehalli and seized a cache of illegal arms and communication equipment. The CCB’s probe pointed to a radicalisation network operating from inside the prison, prompting the case’s transfer to the NIA.

The agency has since filed a chargesheet naming nine accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and other relevant laws. Junaid Ahmed, Anees Fathima’s son, remains at large.