A city sessions court, on Monday, convicted Sayyed Mohammed Naushad — an Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative and prime accused in the serial blasts in Surat and Ahmedabad in 2008 — and two other IM members, for helping IM founder Yasin Bhatkal and Riyaz Bhatkal in preparing explosives and helping them carry out the blasts in different parts of the country.
The 3rd Additional District and Sessions Judge, S.H. Pushpanjali Devi, convicted Naushad, Ahamed Bava Aboobakkar, and Fakeer Ahamad alias Fakeer, for offences under Sections 16, 17, and 18 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act; Section 9 (b) of the Explosives Act; Section 5 (b) of the Indian Explosive Substances Act; Section 25 (A) (A) of the Arms Act; and Section 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code.
The court has acquitted Mohammed Ali, his son Javed Ali, both residents of Ullal; Mohammed Rafeeq and Shabeer Bhatkala alias Shabeer Moulavi from Bhatkal for lack of evidence.
After hearing prosecutor Nayaran Sherigar and counsel for the convicted, the judge posted the case to April 12 for pronouncement of quantum of punishment.
Background
According to the charge-sheet filed by the then Investigation Officer Jayanth Shetty, a series of raids were carried out by the District Crime Investigation Bureau (DCIB) after being tipped off on the presence of Riyaz Bhatkal and Yasin Bhatkal in Ullal.
The DCIB sleuths arrested Mohammed Ali and Javed Ali for allegedly sheltering Riyaz and Yasin and helping the latter in planning terror operations in the country in Ullal in Dakshina Kannada in 2008.
Mohammed Rafeeq was arrested for allegedly helping Riyaz and other IM members to meet in the house of Fakeer Ahmed in Chikkamagaluru. It was on the land purchased by Fakeer Ahmed in Chikkamagaluru that the IM members held target practice and manufactured explosives.
Mohammed Noushad was charged with receiving the parcel of 15kg of ammonium nitrate at the KSRTC bus-stand in Udupi and also electronic circuits from a person in Kannur in July 2008 on the direction of IM operative Iqbal Bhatkal. He reportedly took this material to Fakeer Ahmed’s house where the explosives were made. He and Fakeer took the explosives to Pune, Surat, and Ahmedabad. The police had seized the car used to transport the explosives, said the charge-sheet.
