Three Bangladeshis get five-year prison for harbouring ABT terrorists
NIA court sentenced three Bangladeshis to five years imprisonment for harbouring Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) terrorists in Pune
PUNE The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court, Mumbai, on Thursday, sentenced three Bangladeshis to five years imprisonment for harbouring Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) terrorists from Bangladesh in Pune.
Mohammed Habibur Rehman Habib alias Raj Jesub Mandal, Hannan Anwar Hussain Khan alias Hannan Baburali Gazi, and Mohd Azarali Subhanalla alias Raja Jesub Mandal have been convicted in the case. They have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Foreigners Act, along with ₹2,000 each fine.
With this, five accused have been convicted and sentenced in the case registered in 2018. Two others, identified as Ripen Hussain alias Rubel and Mohmmad Hasan Ali Mohammad Amer Ali, were convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment each earlier in October 2023.
The case was registered originally by Pune police in March 2018 based on inputs regarding several Bangladeshi nationals staying in Pune without valid documents, and abetting and aiding members of ABT, a front organisation of the proscribed terror organisation, Al Qaeda.
The police had intercepted Habib at Dhobighat, Bhairoba Nala, Pune in Maharashtra, and subsequently arrested a total of five Bangladeshi nationals in the case.
NIA, which took over the case in May 2018, found that the arrested Bangladeshi nationals had illegally infiltrated into India. They had fraudulently obtained PAN cards, Aadhaar Cards, Voter IDs, ration cards etc, under fictitious names by providing fake documents. They had used these documents for procuring Indian SIM cards, opening bank accounts, and seeking employment in India.
NIA investigations further revealed that the accused had harboured and funded several ABT cadres, including a key member, Samad Mia alias Tanvir alias Saiful alias Tushar Biswas alias Tusar.