NIA Court Sentences Five Terrorists for Spreading ISIS Ideology and Terrorist Activities Plot

Pune: A special court in Delhi handed down sentences to five individuals involved in spreading the terrorist ideology of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) and planning terrorist activities across India. Among those convicted are two individuals, including a young woman from Pune.

Jahanzeb Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beg, both residing in Okhla Vihar, Jamianagar, were arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell in March 2020. The couple was apprehended after their involvement in disseminating ISIS ideology and engaging in anti-national activities came to light. The investigation revealed their plans to carry out a devastating bomb blast in a major Indian city, prompting the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the case.

Further investigation uncovered the involvement of Sadia Anwar Shaikh and Nabeel S. Khatri from Pune in the terrorist activities. The NIA arrested both individuals in Pune, revealing their connections to the planned attacks. Additionally, Dr. Abdur Rahman from Bangalore was implicated in the case. Dr. Rahman, influenced by ISIS ideology, had travelled to Syria in December 2013 and participated in ISIS’s terrorist activities there.

The NIA filed a charge sheet against five individuals in a special court in Delhi on March 20, 2020, with a supplementary charge sheet submitted on January 12, 2021.

The court handed down the following sentences:

Jahanzeb Sami Wani: 20 years of imprisonment
Hina Bashir Beg: 7 years of imprisonment
Sadia Anwar Shaikh: 7 years of imprisonment
Nabeel S. Khatri: 8 years of hard labour

Abdur Basit, who aided Sami in launching a magazine called ‘Voice of Hind’ to propagate ISIS ideology in the country, has completed his sentence in judicial custody. While a charge sheet has been filed against Dr. Rahman, he has yet to be convicted and sentenced in the case.