On Friday, the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court convicted Samad Mia, a Bangladeshi operative of the proscribed terrorist organisation Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and sentenced him for seven years. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 16,000 for his involvement in a conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks in India.
According to the reports, the 26 year old operative, who belongs to Sylhet city of Bangladesh, has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Foreigners Act.
West Bengal | NIA Special Court, Kolkata, convicts & sentences an operative, Samad Mia, of Ansarullah Bangla Team (a proscribed Bangladeshi terrorist organization) in ABT Conspiracy Case, with 7 years of imprisonment & a fine of Rs 16,000 pic.twitter.com/XH9kA9d0Ly
— ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2022
The case heard by the NIA was initially registered by the Special Task Force in Kolkata in November 2017 when four Bangladeshi and one Indian member of ABT, a proscribed terrorist organisation were arrested.
In March 2018, the NIA took over the investigation and confirmed that Bangladeshi members of ABT had entered India in 2016 in pursuance of the conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in India. Report mentions that the accused had travelled and stayed at Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai, disguised as labourers and tried to procure chemicals from a shop in Patna.
The Court added that they also had tried to procure arms and ammunition in Kolkata and established hide-outs in Ranchi. After completion of investigation, all the five arrested accused were charge sheeted by the NIA. Earlier, three accused have already been convicted by the Special NIA Court, Kolkata.
The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), also called Ansar Bangla is an Islamic Jihadi organization in Bangladesh, implicated in crimes including some brutal attacks and murders of atheist bloggers from 2013 to 2015. The gang was also outlawed days after the bank robbery by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 25 May 2015.
According to the reports, the ABT is an al Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group in Bangladesh that started its activities during 2007 as the Jama’atul Muslemin funded by different NGOs. The group ceased to operate when funding ended. It resurfaced during 2013 as the ABT. Ansarullah Bangla Team is a front group for al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.
