15 radical Islamists were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment and fined varying amounts by the Patiala House Court Special NIA judge on Friday for their involvement in the criminal conspiracy to establish a base for the Islamic jihadi organization ISIS in Bharat by recruiting Muslim youth for the same.

Of the total of 19 accused arrested by the NIA (National Investigation Agency), 16 were charge-sheeted by the agency in 2016-2017, and 15 of them have been handed sentences of rigorous imprisonment varying from 5 to 10 years. Additionally, fines of amounts ranging from rupees 38000 to 100000/- have also been imposed on the convicts.

NIA Special Court at Delhi Sentences 15 Accused Convicted in ISIS Conspiracy Delhi Case pic.twitter.com/DqzzCHtwKE

— NIA India (@NIA_India) October 17, 2020

The NIA press release reads:

1. 1. In an order passed on 16.10.2020, Sh. Parveen Singh, Special Judge for NIA at Patiala House Courts Complex, New Delhi, pronounced sentence on 15 accused persons convicted in ISIS Conspiracy Delhi Case (RC-14/2015/NIA/DLI).
   2. This case was registered at PS NIA, New Delhi on 09.12.2015 under section 125 of IPC and sections 18, 18B, 38 & 39 of UA (P) Act, 1967 and pertains to criminal conspiracy hatched by the ISIS to establish its base in India by recruiting Muslim youth for ISIS, a proscribed terrorist organization by using different social media platforms. During the investigation, searches were conducted in various cities across the country, and 19 accused were arrested. It was revealed that the accused persons had formed an organization by name Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind (a group seeking to establish Caliphate in India and pledging allegiance to ISIS/ISIL) to recruit Muslim youth to work for ISIS and commit acts of terrorism in India at the behest of one Yusuf-Al-Hindi @ Shafi Armar @ Anjan Bhai, who was based in Syria and was purportedly the media chief of ISIS.
   3. This case had a huge impact on the like-minded people who were likely to join ISIS. After the arrest of the above ISIS terrorists, their activities were minimized and their other associates were identified and questioned to unravel their further plans. Several ISIS sympathizers, who had gone to join ISIS, were intercepted at various locations in the Middle East and were deported back to India. The investigation conducted by the agency stopped the facilitation of the ISIS members in India as well as abroad.
   4. After completion of the investigation, NIA had filed charge-sheets against 16 accused persons in 2016-2017.
   5. On 16.10.2020, 15 accused have been convicted and sentenced with rigorous imprisonment (RI) and fine. They are:

(i). Nafees Khan, 10 years RI with fine Rs. 1,03,000/-

(ii). Mudabbir Mushtaq Sheikh, 7 years RI, and fine Rs. 65,000/

(iii). Abu Anas, 7 years RI, and fine Rs. 48,000/-

(iv). Mufti Abdus Sami, 7 years RI and fine Rs. 50,000/-, (v). Azhar Khan, 6 years RI, and fine Rs. 58,000/-

(vi). Amzad khan, 6 years RI, and fine Rs. 78,000/-

(vii) Mohd. Shariff Moinudeen, 5 years RI and fine Rs. 38,000/-

(viii) Asif Ali, 5 years RI, and fine Rs. 38,000/-

(ix) Mohd. Hussain, 5 years RI, and fine Rs. 38,000/-

(x) Syed Mujahid, 5 years RI, and fine Rs. 38,000/-

 (xi) Najmul Huda, 5 years RI, and fine Rs. 38,000/-

(xii) Mohd. Obedullah, 5 years RI, and fine Rs. 38,000/-

(xiii) Md. Aleem, 5 years RI, and fine Rs. 38,000/-

(xiv) Md. Afzal, 5 years RI, and fine Rs. 38,000/-

(xv) Sohail Ahmad 5 years RI and fine Rs. 38,000/-.

1. 1. 6. This case was the first of its kind in which an extensive terrorist conspiracy involving online radicalization was hatched on cyberspace in the aftermath of the declaration of the Islamic Caliphate by Abu-Baqar-Al-Bagdadi in 2014; and Yusuf Al Hindi @ Shafi Armar, based in Syria had slowly radicalized a number of accused and eventually motivated them towards violent jihad as propagated by ISIS.

(Featured Image Source: NIA Twitter Account)

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