Kolkata (West Bengal): National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Kolkata on Thursday convicted and sentenced an 'Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)' operative, Samad Mia, for his involvement in a conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in India. ABT is a banned Bangladesh-based terrorist outfit.
The NIA court has awarded Mia seven years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 16,000. Mia (26), hailing from Bangladesh's Sylhet, was convicted under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Foreigners Act, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, stated the court in its order. The case was initially registered by a 'Special Task Force' in Kolkata on November 21, 2017 after the arrest of five members of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in the city. Four of the arrested members were Bangladeshi nationals and one was Indian. ABT is a proscribed terrorist organization in Bangladesh, the court order noted.
The NIA had taken over the investigation of the case on March 1, 2018, and established that Bangladeshi members of ABT had entered India in 2016 in pursuance of the conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in India. The accused persons had travelled and stayed in Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai, disguised as labourers, and tried to procure chemicals from a shop in Patna. They had also tried to procure arms and ammunition in Kolkata and established hideouts in Ranchi.
