A Special Court for National Investigation Agency in Kochi on Monday found 18 accused, including four Keralites guilty in Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) camp case at Vagamon in Idukki district in December 2007.
The Special Court also acquitted another 17 accused in the case on the ground of lack of evidence. Of the 38 accused charged, 35 were put on trial.
The case related to the secret training camp organised by SIMI at Thangalpara in Vagamon from December 10 to 12, 2007.The trial was conducted via video-conferencing, by connecting the NIA Court here with jails in Bhopal, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, where most of the accused were lodged.
22 accused persons were lodged at the Ahmedabad prison while 12 were in the Bhopal Central Jail.
According to the NIA chargesheet , at the Vagamon camp, leaders of SIMI had conspired to conduct training camps for its active cadres and conducted camps in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and many other places during 2007 in deference to a decision taken at the camp.
It also charged that the SIMI activists had imparted training in combat, arms, firing, making of bombs, motorbike manoeuvres and rope climbing at this secret camp. Wasiq Billa is the sole accused who is absconding. Another accused, Mehaboob Malik, was shot dead while trying to escape from the Bhopal Central Jail.
The sentence will be pronounced on Tuesday.
