NIA Court sentences three Bangladeshis for harbouring Al-Qaida-linked terrorists in Pune

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 28 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court, Mumbai, on Thursday sentenced five years imprisonment to three Bangladeshis for harbouring Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) terrorists from Bangladesh in Pune, the NIA said in a release on Thursday.
As per the NIA release, Mohammed Habibur Rehman Habib alias Raj Jesub Mandal, Hannan Anwar Hussain Khan alias Hannan Baburali Gazi, and Mohd Azarali Subhanallah alias Raja Jesub Mandal have been convicted and sentenced to 5 years in jail under relevant sections of the IPC and Foreigners Act. Each of them has been fined Rs 2000.
With this, a total of five accused have been convicted and sentenced in the case. Earlier in October 2023, two other accused, Ripen Hussain and Mohmmad Hasan Ali Mohammad Amer Ali, were convicted and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.
The case was registered originally by Pune Police in March 2018 on the basis of 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, the Al Qaida.
The police had intercepted Habib at Dhobighat, Bhairoba Nala, Pune in Maharashtra, and subsequently arrested a total of five Bangladeshi nationals in the case.
The 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.
The NIA investigations further revealed that the accused had harboured and funded several ABT cadres, including a key member, Samad Mia.