NIA court sentences 3 JMB men for robberies for terror funding

The accused Najir Sheikh alias Sohail, 25; Habibur Rahaman SK alias Hussain, 28; and Mosaraf Hossain alias Moosa, 22 residents of West Bengal were sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of terrorism under the UAPA

Bengaluru: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Bengaluru on Monday convicted three people linked to the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for a series of robberies in Bengaluru in 2020 which were intended to raise funds for terrorist-related activities.

In April 2020, the case was handed over to NIA following the information that the arrested men had links with the terror organisation

The accused Najir Sheikh alias Sohail, 25; Habibur Rahaman SK alias Hussain, 28; and Mosaraf Hossain alias Moosa, 22 residents of West Bengal were sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of terrorism under the UAPA. The men said they had already been in prison for 3.5 years and sought leniency from the court by saying they were misled into committing crimes.

“The period of detention undergone by accused in judicial custody shall be set off against the term of imprisonment imposed on them as provided under section 428 of the Cr.PC,” said the special court for terrorism cases.

The first robbery took place on February 27, 2018 in KR Puram. The second case was reported on March 15, 2018, the JMB cadre committed a second dacoity at Attibele Town on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The other two robberies were reported on March 19, 2018, in Hegde Nagar and on April 24, 2018 in Attibele.

In April 2020, the case was handed over to NIA following the information that the arrested men had links with the terror organisation. The investigation by NIA found evidence of the conspiracy and a charge sheet was filed.