Court extends judicial custody of 5 linked to terror outfits
A Vijayawada court extended custody of five terror suspects linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS until April 20, allowing police questioning from April 9-13.
Prefer HT
on Google
A local court in Vijayawada on Monday extended judicial custody of five alleged terror suspects till April 20, and also allowed police to keep them in custody from April 9 to 13 for questioning, people aware of the matter said.
The police custody of the five accused— Mohammed Rahantulla Sharif, Mohammed Danish, Mirza Sohail Beg, all from Vijayawada, along with Saida Begum of Hyderabad and Abdul Salam from Karnataka’s Ballari district— ended on Sunday, after which they were produced in the Vijayawada metropolitan magistrate court on Monday.
“The accused were shifted to Rajahmundry central jail,” a police officer familiar with the development said.
The men were among 12 people arrested on March 24 for allegedly harbouring links to terror outfits such as al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). They were sent to custody of Vijayawada police on April 1, following a court order. They were questioned by CI cell officials in Andhra Pradesh and other states, and also by officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
According to senior police officers, the accused deposed that they came into contact with a foreign national who assumed the role of their “handler”, upon whose alleged instructions they created multiple groups on Telegram and Instagram to propagate ideas of “jihad” and “Ghazwa-e-Hind” (a term denoting “war against India” used in extremist literature) and recruit and radicalise others. They also spoke of alleged plans to create a dedicated women’s terror cell in the country.
{{/usCountry}}According to senior police officers, the accused deposed that they came into contact with a foreign national who assumed the role of their “handler”, upon whose alleged instructions they created multiple groups on Telegram and Instagram to propagate ideas of “jihad” and “Ghazwa-e-Hind” (a term denoting “war against India” used in extremist literature) and recruit and radicalise others. They also spoke of alleged plans to create a dedicated women’s terror cell in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators said they found examples of extremist literature, videos and other kinds of propaganda circulated on social members by the accused and other associates, adding that the probe was underway.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators said they found examples of extremist literature, videos and other kinds of propaganda circulated on social members by the accused and other associates, adding that the probe was underway.
{{/usCountry}}They added that the groups created by the accused allegedly included “handlers” and arms suppliers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Aghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
{{/usCountry}}They added that the groups created by the accused allegedly included “handlers” and arms suppliers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Aghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
{{/usCountry}}