Incidents and Statments involving SIMI: 2016

Date

Nature of incident

January 1

India

Bihar

Bihar DGP PK Thakur said, the Police headquarters has initiated security audit at all important installations. Security has been increased at the Barh thermal plant of NTPC, Barani Oil Refinery and other important installations, religious and archaeological sites following a security alert in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack. This has happened following a letter from the Police headquarters regarding the need for security audit. Bihar Police have started the exercise of security audit at all important installations. "Terror outfits such as LeT, JeM, IM and other such outfits have planned to target important installations of the country and they can use explosives-laden vehicles. This requires round-the-clock surveillance," reads the letter.

Delhi

Delhi Police has charge sheeted three suspected operatives of IM for allegedly supplying explosives used for carrying out a blast near Jama Masjid in September 19, 2010, allegedly at the behest of IM co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal. Police filed the charge sheet against Syed Ismail Affaque, Abdus Saboor and Riyaz Ahmad Sayeedi for various alleged offences under IPC, UAPA, Explosive Substances Act, Information Technology Act and Arms Act.

The charge sheet was filed before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh who took cognisance on it and fixed the matter for February 9, 2016. In its charge sheet, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has alleged that Affaque, an Ayurvedic doctor by profession, had met IM co-founders Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and gone to Pakistan where he was trained in making IEDs.

"Investigation has also revealed that explosive was also provided by A-1 (Affaque) on the instructions of Riyaz Bhatkal and Afeef (another IM operative) in 2011 which was used in 2011 Mumbai blast, 2012 Pune blast and 2013 Hyderabad blast," the charge sheet said.

In its charge sheet filed against the three accused, the police said they had conspired with other IM members to carry out a terror strike in Delhi. "From the investigation conducted so far against the arrested accused persons, it has been established that accused number 1 (Affaque), being a member of IM, had entered into a conspiracy along with other co-conspirators for commission of terrorist act in Delhi at Jama Masjid with intent to threaten the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India....," it said.

Bengaluru

The High Court in Bengaluru rejected the bail application of Shabeer Bhatkal, an aide of IM co-founder, Riyaz Bhatkal. Shabeer has been in judicial custody since 2009 after he was arrested by the Ullal Police in Dakshina Kannada District for his association with Riyaz in some of the terror-related activities. Shabeer has been booked under Sections 120(B), 121, 122, 123, 153A, 212, 420, 468, 471 of the IPC and Sections 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 of UAPA and Sections 9(B) of Explosive Act and Section 5 and 6 of Indian Explosive Substance Act and Sections 3 and 4 of the Arms Act.

Bihar

Suspected IM operative Afzal Usmani was convicted in Mazgaon Court of Mumbai (Maharashtra) and sent to five years in prison, two-and-a-half years after he ran away from the City Civil and Sessions Court, escaping a heavy police cordon. Judge S L Bangar of the Mazgaon court awarded Usmani two years' sentence for obstructing arrest, forgery, and using a forged document as genuine, three years' term for cheating for impersonation, and cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, and five years in jail for forgery for the purpose of cheating. In addition, the court slapped fines of INR 31,000 on him.

Usmani, who was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS for his role in the 2008 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, escaped from the high-security MCOCA Court on September 20, 2013, from a cordon of Navi Mumbai Police officers.

India

IB officials have found banter on the internet suggesting that AuT, IM breakaway faction is attempting to carry out strikes in India. Earlier, in the month of August 2014, AuT pledged support to the Islamic State (IS) and promised to recruit at least 300 Indians. IB officials have been on the trail of the Sultan Armar's (dead AuT 'chief') brothers since the past year in Nawayat Colony of Bhatkal (Karnataka). Sultan and his brother Shafi operated handles on Twitter such as @Sult, @Mulla, @Moulana, @Nakhwa, @Pandit, @Shekhu, @Sheikh-Ul-Hadees and @Pujari. The brothers, who are residents of Haji Manzil, Nawayat Colony, Bhatkal, had ventured into the Indian Mujahideen at first at the behest of Yasin Bhatkal.

However, they broke away from the IM on the pretext that they did not want to be stooges of the ISI. In the IS they found a radical school of thought that felt that it was only this outfit which could set up an Islamic Caliphate while the rest were only playing into the hands of the Intelligence agencies in Pakistan.

It is reported that like his brother, Shafi operates several accounts online especially on Facebook. There is material that is posted online and under different ids, he scrutinizes the kind of messages that come in. In his recent recruitment of a bunch of youth from Rajasthan, he was said to have interviewed them online and only after being very sure did he go about the recruitment.

Delhi

Delhi Police Special Cell officials are looking for two suspected militants, belonging to the IM earlier but now associated with the Islamic State (IS), who allegedly radicalised the four students from Haridwar, who were earlier arrested on January 19. Investigators found that the four men, Akhlaq-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Azim Ushan, Mohammad Osama alias Adil and Mohammad Mehraj had more information on a module based in Pakistan than any in Syria or Iraq. Their alleged IS handler Shafi Armar was found to have been an IM man all his life who recently shifted loyalties to the Iraqi and Syrian outfit.

Intelligence officials are trying to determine if various alleged IS modules being discovered in India have origins in Syria and Iraq or are being floated by the ISI in the name of the West Asian group to mislead Indian agencies.The two suspects searched by Delhi Police, were local handlers of the arrested students, Police confirmed. One belongs to south India, most probably Bhatkal in Karnataka. A special cell officer said a Police team had already been sent to Bhatkal to apprehend the man who could be part of the IM's south India module that could not be fully neutralised in operations after a series of terror strikes between 2005 and 2009.

NS

Indians based out of Syria have formed a module of the deadly terror group Islamic State (IS) to carry out attacks back home, sources in intelligence agencies have said. Sources told that these terrorists have been recruiting in India since 2004 and that at least 60 could be active in the country now. This is a big jump from a previous estimate of 23 active IS local operatives. Intelligence agencies suspect operatives were being trained to make terror strikes in religious centres like Haridwar or tourist hotspots like Goa.

The recruiters in Syria are allegedly terrorists who belonged to the home-grown IM who fled the country because of the crackdown by security agencies after the 2008 Mumbai attack. These recruiters were found to be targeting Muslim youth in the southern states and Uttar Pradesh and were trying to radicalise them through cyber propaganda, sources said. The recruitments were mostly being carried out in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

India

The number of Indians who are believed to have joined Islamic State (IS) outfit now stands at 25, up from 17 in August, 2015. According to official sources, "Their preliminary interrogation shows that they wanted to increase the numbers of their followers here and organise attacks to establish a caliphate here". According to officials, the group being led by Mumbai resident Mudabbir Sheikh had at least one common handler, former member of the IM Shafi Armar alias Yousuf, who now heads the AuT which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

India

Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, the 'emir' or chief of Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind, an Islamic State (IS)-inspired outfit, a module of which was busted by the NIA during raids conducted between January 22-23, has confessed to having received INR 600,000 money from Mohammad Shafi Armar, a former IM militant who is now an IS recruiter based in Syria. While INR 237,000 of the terror fund transferred to Shaikh was recovered during the raid at his Mumbra home, a part of it was earlier distributed to at least two IS-inspired youth, of whom one received INR 50,000 in Lucknow.

India

Former IM operative Shafi Armar, suspected to be the chief recruiter of the 14 men recently arrested for planning terror strikes across the country, wanted a unit of Junud al Khalifa-e-Hind (Soldiers of the Indian Caliphate) to be raised in every state and major city. Armar, who allegedly chatted with those arrested over social media and encrypted messengers such as Trillion, Surespot and Skype, had asked Mumbai-resident Mudabbir Sheikh and Kushinagar-resident Rizwan Khalid to ensure that these units are set up, said sources, adding that the units were to be activated as and when required to launch an attack.

Bengaluru

Hyderabad Police arrested the absconding alleged IM operative, Mohamed Rafeeq, alias Alam Jeb Afridi, a native of Ahmedabad, from Bengaluru. He was handed over to the NIA for further interrogation. Sources in Ahmedabad crime branch said Afridi had confessed to NIA about his role in the serial blasts that rocked the city on July 26, 2008. Around 56 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the blasts, which took place at 18 places in Ahmedabad. "Afridi reportedly told NIA officials that he held a series of meetings with hardcore SIMI terrorists. He was also at the terror training camps at Waghamon and Halol," said a crime branch official.

Rafeeq was being interrogated by the Telangana Police in connection with a blast in Ahmedabad when his alleged role in the Church Street blast on December 28, 2014 came to light. A statement from the NIA said Rafeeq had planted an IED outside Coconut Grove restaurant in Church Street on December 28, 2014. "During interrogation, Rafeeq confessed he wanted to plant a bomb inside the restaurant, but was deterred by the presence of staff, and so he planted it near the wall," the statement said. Rafeeq was acting at the behest of a handler who had told him about the probable visit of an Israeli delegation to the restaurant for dinner that night. The explosion claimed the life of a woman from Chennai visiting Bengaluru.

India

An Indian terror module pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) is a reorganized group of the virtually defunct IM and SIMI elements, recruiting new members to carry out a string of terror strikes across the country, highly placed intelligence sources said. This fact came out during the questioning of 14 suspected Islamic State (IS) sympathisers who were arrested last week from 12 places in six cities in a synchronized raid conducted by the NIA, the sources added. Those inspired by the IS ideology were hooked by Yusuf-al-Hind who, the Indian security agencies believe, is former IM member Shafi Armar, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka. Armar, now believed to be in the Islamic State-held area along the border of Iraq and Syria, formed 'Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind' and recruited Mumbai-based 33-year-old Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh as 'Amir' (chief) of the group.

Official sources privy to the investigation said that Armar also recruited his brother Sultan and others who had worked for IM and the now-banned SIMI. "Apart from former IM and SIMI members, Armar chose those who are basically inspired by the IS ideology. He first recruited his close aides and then inspired them to recruit more supporters," said an unnamed official. They used social networking sites and made calls through the internet (using VoIP) to activate the sleeper cells of IM and SIMI," the official added.

Another intelligence source declining to be identified said that the outfit members were directed to carry out strikes across multiple cities, including Hyderabad in Telangana, Bengaluru, Mangalore and Tumkur in Karnataka, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, and Aurangabad and Mumbai in Maharashtra. "They were asked to organise training camps - like how to use fire arms - before the attack. They were also trying to establish channels for procuring explosives and weapons," the official source said. The leadership of Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind, active since April 2015, was following the IM and SIMI set-ups by choosing their organised central, state and city level core groups, the official said. The 14 men, allegedly influenced by IS and arrested by the NIA, are also said to have revealed that the 20-year-old Uttar Pradesh-based Mohammed Aleem was chosen as Naib Amir, the second-in-command of the group after Mudabbir. The sources said Karnataka resident Najmul Huda was the military commander and 24-year-old Hyderabadi Mohammed Nafees Khan was the finance chief of the outfit.

Karnataka

Karnataka's coastal town of Bhatkal, once known as recruiting ground for IM, is now being seen in the security establishment to be emerging as a possible incubator of the Islamic State's (IS) Indian terror module after a string of arrests from the town and nearby areas in Karnataka. Shafi Armar, who, intelligence agencies say is the main recruiter of Indian men lured to the IS ideology, also belongs to Bhatkal where he was born and lived with his two brothers, before leaving India in 2009.

"All the arrested suspected terrorists having links with Bhatkal are being quizzed to ascertain their role in the module. Interrogators are also trying to find out the exact number of people recruited from the town," the sources said. The sources privy to the investigation, however, said that the arrested IS suspects were not only asked to target Bhatkal to recruit members but to seek sympathisers across India for which they had organised several meetings in Lucknow, Mumbai, Mangalore, Tumkur (in Karnataka), Haridwar and Hyderabad. Another official, said that the main India-module recruiter of IS has been targeting his former IM aides who belong to Bhatkal and nearby towns in Karnataka.

Rourkela / Sundergarh District / Odisha

In a joint operation, the Odisha Police, Telangana Police, Central Intelligence Bureau and Tactical Wing of Odisha SoG arrested five suspected SIMI cadres, including a woman member, from Quereshi Mohalla area in Rourkela in Sundergarh District. The arrested cadres were identified as Mehboob alias Guddu (27), Amzad Khan alias Dowd (27), Zakir Khan alias Sadik (32), Mahammed Salik alias Sallu (32) and Nazma, mother of Maheboob, all hailing from Khandawa District in Madhya Pradesh. According Odisha IB Director General Arun Sarangi, the arrested cadres belonged to the banned SIMI. A huge cache of arms and ammunitions, including three pistols, seven guns and 11 rounds of live cartridges, were also recovered from the arrested persons. An intense exchange of fire between the SFs and the accused went on for three hours before the cadres were captured, sources said. The Police have also taken into custody the landlady of the house where the accused were staying for four months.

According to Arun Sarangi, the arrested SIMI rebels were involved in at least 17 explosions in Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Besides, they were also carrying out anti-social activities in Bihar and Jharkhand. In 2013, all the terrorists had escaped from Khandwa Jail in Madhya Pradesh and were hiding in Rourkela since then. After the jailbreak, the terrorists killed two Police personnel during a bank loot incident in Telangana. They decamped with INR 48 lakh from the bank. The extremists also killed a Policeman in Madhya Pradesh. They were also involved in several train robbery cases and a bank loot incident in Sundargarh District of Odisha.

Delhi

A Delhi court discharged two suspected operatives of IM, Tahseen Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas (Pakistani national) in a case relating to the terror group's conspiracy to carry out strikes in the national capital, due to lack of evidence. The court, however, framed charges against five accused under the provisions of UAPA, the Explosive Substances Act and under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. The five accused -- Syed Maqbool, Imran Khan, Asad Khan, Syed Feroz and Irfan Mustafa -- were put on trial after they pleaded not guilty to the charges framed against them and the court has now fixed the matter for recording of evidence on March 28, 2016.

India

Investigation into past activities of the SIMI operatives revealed that the Khandwa module tried to mobilise support from terror outfits from outside India. One member had visited Bangladesh while the group head had sent close to INR 3,00,000 to TTP, an outfit based in Pakistan. Sources said, interrogation by RAW and NIA have found that the SIMI operatives used certain members of the Singhi community from Raipur to send the money to TTP.

Sheikh Aijzuddin, one of the operatives who died in an encounter with Telangana Police in April, 2015, had visited Bangladesh to seek assistance from groups operating from there. The STF has sought mobile call details of the SIMI operatives which are under verification. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra Police have submitted petitions before a court in Rourkela (Odisha) seeking custody of the five whose remand with STF ends on February 29, 2016.

Karnataka

A team of the NIA is in Karnataka to get further details regarding a case relating to a blast at Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. A gang of five operatives of the SIMI had broken out of the Khandwa jail in Madhya Pradesh in 2013. While two were killed in an encounter at Telangana recently, three others were nabbed in Odisha last month. The NIA has been questioning the trio since the past week and had found that they had stayed in Karnataka for a considerable amount of time. It was found that they had taken up accommodation in towns such as Yadgir, Dharwad and Hospet. Further it was also found that these persons were staying in Karnataka when they planned the robbery at Karimnagar in Telangana.

Sundergarh District / Odisha

Bomb making literature of al Qaeda is emerging as favourite guidebook for SIMI and IM operatives in India. Ongoing interrogation of the four suspected SIMI operatives arrested on February 17, 2016 from Rourkela city area in Sundergarh District of Odisha revealed that they and other lone wolf attackers had learnt from al-Qaeda literature how to make bombs and trigger blasts in the country. The four SIMI men who had escaped from Tantya Bheel Jail in Khandwa District of Madhya Pradesh on October 1, 2013 have revealed during questioning by intelligence agencies and MP ATS, that they had learnt how to make low intensity pressure bombs out of al-Qaeda's bomb making literature.

It was revealed that the pipe borne explosives were subsequently triggered with the help of timer device in May 2014 in the Bengaluru-Guwahati Express train at Chennai railway station. Similar explosive was used to trigger blast in the Faraskhana Police Station premises at Pune in July 2014, central intelligence and MP ATS sources stated on March 14.

A similar explosive blasted while being prepared by the SIMI men at their hideout in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor, resulting in severe burn injuries to one of them, Sheikh Mehboob alias Guddu in September 2014. The four SIMI operatives, including Sheikh Mehboob alias Guddu, Zaqir, Amjad and Mohammad Saliq, who were arrested from their hideout in Odisha's Rourkela District on February 17 are presently being grilled by MP ATS and central intelligence agencies.

Maharashtra

The Maharashtra ATS is counselling two of the Malvani youth who returned after fleeing from Mumbai to join IS. Meanwhile on March 15, Maharashtra ATS moved an application in a local court in Delhi, seeking the custody of Mohsin Sheikh who was arrested in February, 2016 by the Delhi Police Special Cell. Four youth went missing between October and December, 2015 from suburban Malvani. While Wajid Sheikh and Noor Sheikh 'returned' within a month, Mohsin Sheikh was arrested by the Special Cell on February 4. The fourth youth, Ayaz Sultan, is suspected to have fled to Kabul (Afghanistan) and joined the AuT which is currently headed by former IM operative Shafi Armar alias Yusuf. "Wajid and Noor are currently being counselled and are reacting positively," an official told. "The decision to counsel them was taken after Noor attempted suicide," the official added.

Burdwan District / West Bengal

The NIA arrested a student of mechanical engineering in Durgapur in Burdwan District of West Bengal, in connection with its case against the IS. A resident of Hooghly, Ashiq Ahmed was arrested by the agency after several days of questioning. He is alleged to be part of the JKH, a self-appointed IS "franchise" run on the directions of former IM operative Shafi Armar. Sources said Ahmed came in contact with Mohammed Nafees Khan, 'finance chief' of JKH, while surfing jihadi videos over the internet. Khan, who is currently under arrest, reportedly met Ahmed in Kolkata and got him appointed as 'chief' of JKH's Bengal unit.

Ujjain District / Madhya Pradesh

Police seized a cache of explosives, including detonators from a bag stashed in a hostel room in Ujjain District of Madhya Pradesh, ringing alarm bells about a possible terror strike at the Mahakumbh. The seizure comes exactly a month after the arrests of runaway SIMI operatives who had enacted the daring Khandwa jailbreak. Owner of the bag, Sajid Khan, had checked into Room No. 212, Atishay Sheel Jain Hostel on March 18 after showing his Aadhaar card at the counter. He left the room soon after dumping his luggage and told the manager he was going out for lunch.

Maharashtra

Ismail Musab Abdul Rawoof, suspected IS recruit, who was detained at Pune International Airport while attempting to leave for Dubai, is suspected to have carried out hawala for the outfit's self-appointed franchise in India. He was detained by IB and NIA on the basis of a lookout circular issued by the IB. Intelligence sources said Rawoof is suspected to have played a role in two tranches of hawala money that reached suspected IS recruit Mudabbir Sheikh in Mumbai (Maharashtra). Sheikh, according to NIA, is the 'chief' of JKH, a self-appointed franchise of IS that is suspected to be run on the instructions of former IM operative Shafi Armar.

Mumbai

A court sentenced three people, Muzammil Ansari, Farhan Khot and Wahid Ansari to life imprisonment for their role in bombings in Mumbai in 2002-2003 officials said. "The case is going on for 13 years ... Some might be pleased and some might not. I have tried to give justice," Judge P R Deshmukh said. In addition to the three life sentences, the court, gave seven other convicts jail terms ranging from two to 10 years. Among the seven, four were given 10 years' jail term: Saquib Nachan, 'general secretary' of SIMI, Ateef Nasir Mulla, Ghulam Kotla and Hasib Zubeir Mulla., and three convicts were given two years' jail term. They are Mohamed Anwar Ali, Mohamed Kamil and Noor Mohamed.

Maharashtra

Special MCOCA court formally discharged all nine accused arrested by the Maharashtra ATS from the Malegaon blast (September 8, 2006) case due to lack of evidence. The Maharashtra ATS went on to arrest Noorul Huda Samsudoha, Shabbir Ahmed Masiullah, Raees Ahmed Rajab Ali Mansuri, Salman Farsi Abdul Latif Aimi, Farogh Iqbal Ahmed Magdumi, Mohammad Ali Alam Sheikh, Asif Khan Bashir Khan alias Junaid, Mohammad Zahid Abdul Majid Ansari and Abrar Ahmed Gulam Ahmed from various locations in Malegaon and Mumbai. The ATS alleged that they were members of the banned SIMI and had executed the blasts to foment communal unrest.

Mumbai

A suspected IM terrorist, identified as Zainul Abedin was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in connection with the July 13, 2011 serial bomb blasts. The terror suspect was arrested from the city airport and produced before a local court, which sent him in 10-day ATS custody. "We arrested one Zainul Abedin, a suspected IM terrorist, from the Mumbai airport this morning. We produced him in the court and got his remand for ten days," a senior ATS official stated.

India

Three months after Indian agencies neutralised widespread Islamic State (IS) network with many operatives in India, its key recruiter's identity still remains a mystery. Security agencies believe that Shafi Armar alias Yousuf al Hindi operates from Syria but are not fully convinced if all communications in his name are from this former IM operative. Eight of the 25 suspects in the custody of the NIA and allegedly recruited by Armar have told interrogators that they had never seen him as he did not communicate with them through video calls. Armar used only web-based applications, 'We Chat', 'Kick' and the audio messaging service on Skype.

Amirgadh / Banas Kantha District / Gujarat

The Gujarat ATS arrested a suspected SIMI operative, identified as Mohammad Suwale Umar in Amirgadh in Banas Kantha District. He is wanted in a case lodged by SOG, Jaipur, Rajasthan in 2008. He is accused of "Jihadi Conspiracy" and holding meeting of activists of SIMI to wage war against the country.

Bhatkal / Karnataka

Zainul Abedin was brought to Bhatkal amid tight security. The action follows after he admitted to storing a bomb at his home at Sultan Street in Bhatkal. Zainul allegedly worked as an explosive expert for the terror outfit IM. On April 25, 2016 he was deported to India by Saudi Arabia for his alleged links with the IM. He was arrested at Mumbai airport the same day. Zainul, who was in the hiding in Saudi Arabia on the pretext of working there, was allegedly involved in at least nine bomb blasts in various parts of the country, including Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Pune (Maharashtra). After giving Indian agencies the slip last year (2015), he escaped to Saudi Arabia. Before being deported to India, he was jailed in Saudi Arabia for six months for alleged terror links.

Ernakulam / Kerala

A Police probe into Thadiyantavida Nazeer, an alleged IM operative, sending letters from the jail through one of his aides, has found that those letters were intended to promote terrorist activities in the country. On May 10, in a charge-sheet submitted at the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, Police stated that the letters recovered from Shahnaz, an aide of Nazeer, were written in a coded script and intended to promote terrorist activities. Police names Shahnaz P.A. and Taslim K.K. as the two accused in the case.

Odisha

Terrorism has emerged as a new challenge to Odisha Police in 2015 even as other crimes continued unabated, according to the White Paper released. Though the movement of two IM operatives in some parts of the state was first reported in January 2014, arrest of three suspected terrorists alone from the state last year set the alarm bells ringing. In January 2015, Balasore Police arrested one Iswar Chandra Behera on charges of leaking vital information from the ITR at Chandipur to Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. Behera had been working as a contractual cameraman at the ITR, which is a high-risk category installation in the country.

Terror fear gripped the state after burning of three empty trains at Puri on November 12, 2015. The Railway Protection Force arrested one Subhash Ramachandran, who later made startling revelations about his links with a terror outfit. Ramachandran told the Police that some terrorists hired him to trigger arson in trains. The NIA, which probed the case, ruled out any terror links behind the train arson. In the end of 2015, arrest of Abdul Rehman from Cuttack pressed the panic buttons for the state Police. Rehman, a cleric from Paschimkachha in Cuttack District, was allegedly found to be having links with al Qaeda.

Rohini / Delhi

The Gujarat ATS arrested a gang member, identified as Shailendra Singh Attarsingh Jaat of gang led by Asif Reza Khan and his brothers Aamir and Aftab Ansari, the founders of IM, from Rohini in Delhi. The person was wanted in a 16-year-old kidnapping case in Rajkot (Gujarat). According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (ATS) KK Patel, Jaat is one of the four accused who had come from Delhi to execute the kidnapping of two businessmen Bhaskar Parekh and Paresh Shah in December 2000 in Rajkot.

Two IM operatives, Abu Rashid Ahmad and Mohammad 'Bada' Sajid from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh (UP), were identified amongst those featured in a documentary released by Islamic State (IS) regarding lives of South Asian jihadists. The video, aimed at recruiting more foreign militants, had also touted Thane engineering student Aman Tandel as the 'deputy governor' of Indian territories, and claims that it would avenge every anti-Muslim communal violence in India.

The two men are wanted for a spate of terror attacks across the country. Sajid was thought to have been killed in an encounter in Syrian Kobane in 2015, and is suspected to have orchestrated terror blasts in Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Abu Rashid, is suspected to have conducted terror strikes for IM between 2005 and 2008. In the video, the two men are seen describing their journey from India to the Islamic State. The group initially made their first exile to Khorasan in Afghan-Pak border after they were persecuted by the ATS following the Batla house encounter. This was followed by a second exile to IS later.

A key accused in the Bengaluru serial blasts of July 25, 2008, K P Sabeer alias Mohammed Sabeer alias Ayub is living in Peshawar, KP Pakistan, investigations by the NIA and the Kerala Police have revealed. Sabeer, allegedly linked to the LeT, had fallen off the radar of investigating agencies after fleeing India on a fake passport in November 2008. He was also the 'former president' of SIMI in Kerala.

His whereabouts have reportedly emerged now following investigations around K A Anoop, an alleged associate of Sabeer who was deported from the UAE in April, 2016. The NIA had arrested Anoop on April 8, 2016, after he was detained on his arrival at IGI Airport, New Delhi in connection with the September 2005 Kalamassery (Kochi) bus-burning case. Sources familiar with the investigations claimed the two were in touch and that analysis of Anoop's Dubai phone call records has revealed a number linked to Sabeer. "He has been trying to take his wife to Pakistan and has been offering 100,000 dirhams to obtain travel documents for her. This is the first time in many years that some information has emerged about Sabeer," said sources.

Uttar Pradesh

Two IM operatives, Abu Rashid Ahmad and Mohammad 'Bada' Sajid from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh (UP), were identified amongst those featured in a documentary released by Islamic State (IS) regarding lives of South Asian jihadists. The video, aimed at recruiting more foreign militants, had also touted Thane engineering student Aman Tandel as the 'deputy governor' of Indian territories, and claims that it would avenge every anti-Muslim communal violence in India. The two men are wanted for a spate of terror attacks across the country. Sajid was thought to have been killed in an encounter in Syrian Kobane in 2015, and is suspected to have orchestrated terror blasts in Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Abu Rashid, is suspected to have conducted terror strikes for IM between 2005 and 2008. In the video, the two men are seen describing their journey from India to the Islamic State. The group initially made their first exile to Khorasan in Afghan-Pak border after they were persecuted by the ATS following the Batla house encounter. This was followed by a second exile to IS later.

India

A key accused in the Bengaluru serial blasts of July 25, 2008, K P Sabeer alias Mohammed Sabeer alias Ayub is living in Peshawar, KP Pakistan, investigations by the NIA and the Kerala Police have revealed. Sabeer, allegedly linked to the LeT, had fallen off the radar of investigating agencies after fleeing India on a fake passport in November 2008. He was also the 'former president' of SIMI in Kerala.

His whereabouts have reportedly emerged now following investigations around K A Anoop, an alleged associate of Sabeer who was deported from the UAE in April, 2016. The NIA had arrested Anoop on April 8, 2016, after he was detained on his arrival at IGI Airport, New Delhi in connection with the September 2005 Kalamassery (Kochi) bus-burning case. Sources familiar with the investigations claimed the two were in touch and that analysis of Anoop's Dubai phone call records has revealed a number linked to Sabeer. "He has been trying to take his wife to Pakistan and has been offering 100,000 dirhams to obtain travel documents for her. This is the first time in many years that some information has emerged about Sabeer," said sources.

A special court in New Delhi sent IM's alleged key operative, Abdul Wahid Siddibapa to judicial custody till July 1 after NIA submitted that his further custodial interrogation was not required in the case. Siddibapa, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka, was produced before Special Judge Rakesh Pandit on expiry of his seven-day NIA custody. Siddibapa, cousin of IM co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport on May 20 after his arrival from Dubai.

NS

Abdul Wahid Sidibappa, alleged to be the IM's main conduit in the chain of fund supply from Pakistan via Dubai to other IM operatives based in India for terror attacks, has given NIA interrogators details of an important meeting of key IM operatives held in Sharjah in 2009 to plan attacks in India and discuss how money would be sent for these attacks. Abdul was arrested last month from Delhi airport upon arrival from Dubai. Sources told that Abdul has revealed that he was instrumental in routing INR 4,50,000 in six instalments to IM operatives in Mumbai (Maharashtra), Kozhikode (Kerala) and Hyderabad. He has also said that money was sent from Dubai to IM members in India at least 14-15 times between 2009 and 2013.

India

Pakistan's ISI had paid Riyaz Bhatkal INR 26 crore to carry out blasts in India, investigations have revealed. Riyaz Bhatkal also got a bungalow in Karachi, Pakistan security investigations have also revealed. This now appears to be the source of the problem which led to such a major split in the IM. Yasin Bhatkal had always complained that he had to do the dirty work on the field while Riyaz and his brother Iqbal enjoyed life in a secure bungalow.

In latest revelations, IM's hawala pointsman Abdul Wahid Siddibappa, who sent money between 2011 and 2013 for most of the blasts carried out by the outfit in India, claimed that Pakistan-based Iqbal Bhatkal used to threaten cadres that they would be shot if they didn't follow his orders or showed signs of deviating from the path of jihad. Siddibappa, who was deported from the UAE last month, told his interrogators that if any member, after joining IM, tried to defect or leave the group, he would be threatened with dire consequences. Siddibappa, also from Bhatkal and related to Riyaz and Iqbal, said Iqbal was a "gunda" and a "short-tempered" person. Siddibappa claimed that Afeef Jilani, another senior IM member, had a fight with Riyaz and Iqbal because the latter married a woman in Pakistan. Afeef was left "half dead", he claimed.

Gujarat ATS arrested a suspected SIMI operative, Nasir Rangrez, wanted in the July 26, 2008 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, from Khade Bazar Road of Belgam in Karnataka. According to officials who arrested Rangrez, he was part of larger conspiracy, hatched by terror outfits IM and SIMI, to spread terror in Gujarat to avenge the killings of Muslims during post-Godhra riots. "Before carrying out the blasts in the city, Rangrez along with many other accused associated with SIMI and IM recruited Muslim men to take revenge of riots and provided them training at Pavagadh in Gujarat, Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh and Waghamon in Kerala," official statement said.

Mumbai

A special court in Mumbai issued a warrant to produce alleged IM operative Abdul Wahid Siddibappa in connection with the 2011 Mumbai blasts case. Siddibappa was arrested in May by the NIA after being deported from the UAE. A copy of the production warrant was sent to the special NIA court and Rohini jail in Delhi where he is lodged, in judicial custody. He is expected to be brought to the city for the next hearing on July 15. Officials said he is alleged to be a key conspirator along with Yasin Bhatkal.

India

With the alleged hate speeches by preacher Zakir Naik coming under the scanner for influencing youngsters towards terrorism, the NIA has started analysing statements of Islamic State (IS), AQIS and IM terrorists arrested in the past who claimed to have been inspired by sermons of such preachers.

Security agencies have stumbled upon a large amount of money transacted into the bank account of Mohammad Tausif Amhed, PFI activist from Qatar and some other Arab nations which they believe might be hawala (illegal money transaction) money being pushed into Bihar for helping anti-nationals. Tausif, was arrested on July 15 for raising pro-Pakistan slogans here. "Initial investigations suggest that Tausif has links with terror group Indian Mujahideen," said an official, adding that NIA sleuths reached Bihar to interrogate the arrested PFI activist. A senior NIA official said PFI is another face of banned outfit SIMI.

Church Street / Bangalore

The NIA filed a chargesheet against Alam Zeb Afridi alias Mohammes Rafiq for his involvement in the Church Street (Bangalore) blast case which took place on December 28, 2014. In their statement, the NIA has said that the accused confessed to his involvement in preparing the IED and placing it near the restaurant called Coconut Grove on Church Street in the central business district of Bangalore. In his confession to the NIA, Afridi said that his primary target was a group of Israeli tourists who were to dine at the restaurant. But the IED blast took place earlier than expected.

Afridi, the NIA officials claimed was part of the SIMI and was an accused in a case for organising SIMI meetings in Vagamon, Kerala. During that time, he was declared an absconder with INR 3,00,000 bounty on his head. He was also known to be very close to several top SIMI leaders. The NIA will continue its investigation to find out who Afridi's handlers were and how they went about guiding him to prepare and place the IED.

Bhatkal/Karnataka

According to NIA chargesheet filed, man from Bhatkal, Adnan Hassan (36), considered close to IM founder leaders Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, was attempting to recruit young jihadis to the cause of a self-proclaimed caliphate since October-November 2013. The chargesheet states that Adnan Hassan has "influenced many Indian youth, motivated them to join ISIS and promoted the activities of the outfit". "He motivated many people by posting news, comments, videos, images and online commentary of Islamic scholars" and "remained in close association with many ISIS people in India and abroad", says the chargesheet about Hassan, who was recently arrested along with two of his accomplices after being deported from UAE.

Hassan is alleged to have collected and distributed funds to many Islamic State (IS) operatives, who wished to travel to Iraq and Syria. NIA chargesheet says that Hassan remained in close contact with IM members now based in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria, including Bhatkals and IS's present principal recruiter for India, Shafi Armar.

India

Security agencies have drawn up a list of 55 terror accused, arrested from across the country over the past decade, who has claimed to be influenced by or to have watched Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's speeches. Sources in the agencies told that the list includes arrests from as far back as 2005 to those made by the NIA earlier in 2016. These accused have claimed affiliation to groups such as the SIMI, LeT, IM and the Islamic State (IS).

Security agencies have stumbled upon a large amount of money transacted into the bank account of Mohammad Tausif Amhed, PFI activist from Qatar and some other Arab nations which they believe might be hawala (illegal money transaction) money being pushed into Bihar for helping anti-nationals. Tausif, was arrested on July 15 for raising pro-Pakistan slogans here. "Initial investigations suggest that Tausif has links with terror group Indian Mujahideen," said an official, adding that NIA sleuths reached Bihar to interrogate the arrested PFI activist. A senior NIA official said PFI is another face of banned outfit SIMI.

Parbhani District / Maharashtra

The Maharashtra ATS arrested Iqbal Ahmed Kabir Ahmed (28) in its ongoing crackdown against alleged Islamic State (IS) recruits, in Parbhani District. Iqbal is alleged to be a part of the "Parbhani module" that, as sources had claimed, were planning to carry out an attack on the Aurangabad ATS unit. The group was also planning to target former SP Navinchandra Reddy, who killed an alleged SIMI operative, Khalil Akhil Khilji in 2012.

Rourkela / Sundergarh District / Odisha

The Crime Branch of Odisha Police filed the charge sheet against five SIMI activists arrested in February at the Rourkela SDJM court in Sundergarh District. The four SIMI militants and a woman, Najma (mother of Sheikh Mehmood, one of the four) were arrested by the Police from a rented house in Rourkela on February 16, 2016. All of them are residents of Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh and were among the most-wanted terrorists in the country. The NIA had announced an INR 10 lakh reward on each of their heads.

Kochi / Kerala

The investigation team probing the theft of cash and gold from a house at Perumbavoor, by persons with terror links who posed as VACB officials, found that a Kochi-based gang was also involved in the crime. Earlier, the investigators had established the involvement of a 14-member group in the crime, and had arrested five persons including mastermind Abdul Halim and his associate Shamnas. Halim is a close aide of IM operative Thadiyantavide Nazeer.

Bihar

Suspected IM operatives, lodged at Bihar's Beur Central jail clashed with two Police personnel on duty. After this, the jail administration has lodged an FIR in Beur police station against them. Sources said the incident took place when about 10 prisoners, charged with sedition for their alleged role in the bomb blasts at Patna and Bodhgaya in 2013, clashed with two security personnel over checking of food served to them. Senior police officers rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

The terror suspects, had been arrested by the NIA and have been accused of misbehaving and preventing security personnel from doing their duty, as mentioned in the FIR. Rupak Kumar, Superintendent of the Beur Central Jail, told, "They are lodged in a special cell but their food is prepared in the same jail kitchen and it's a daily routine to check the food served to them when it reaches their cell. On Thursday too, the cops on duty were doing their job when the terror suspects engaged in a verbal duel with them. We have informed the NIA court and senior authorities about this as well."

Maharashtra

The Maharashtra ATS in its recently submitted chargesheet against four suspected IS (Islamic State) operatives arrested from Parbhani has claimed that the accused had conducted reconnaissance of the ATS unit and Police (rural) headquarters in Aurangabad to blow up the former. Their target list also included Police officers, especially a former ATS Superintendent of Police who was involved in the Police encounter of an IM operative in Maharashtra.

Bhopal / Madhya Pradesh

ATS of MP Police killed eight suspected SIMI cadres in Bhopal. They were killed 10 kilometres away from a prison in city outskirts. Two policemen were also injured in the encounter which lasted for nearly an hour.

The slain militants were identified as - Mohammad Aqeel Khilji alias Abdullah s/o Mohammad Yusuf, Mehboob Guddu alias Malik s/o Ismail of Khandwa (MP), Mohammad Khalid Ahmad s/o Mohammad Saleem of Sholapur Maharashtra, Mujeeb Sheikh alias Akram alias Wasim alias Nawed alias Nitin alias Faizan alias Chintoo alias Yusuf s/o Zamal Ahmad resident of Juhapura (Ahmedabad) Gujarat, Amzad s/o Ramzan Khan, Zakir Hussein Sheikh alias Vicky don alias Vinay Kumar s/o Badalul Hussein and Abdul Majid s/o Mohammad Yusuf of Ujjain (MP).

Theses militants had escaped from a prison at the outskirts of Bhopal. "Eight SIMI activists had escaped around 2-3am [October 31] by killing a jail security guard," DIG Bhopal Raman Singh had said. Their location was detected near Manikheda area under Gunga police station following information from local villagers. "When they were confronted by a few the villagers, they started pelting stones. Villagers mistook them as robbers and alerted the police. When they were asked to surrender, they opened fire forcing police to retaliate," said Inspector General Yogesh Chaudhary who was part of the operation. They were carrying date and other food materials with them. Efforts are being made to trace identity of those who supported them in the jail break.

Modus operandi of Bhopal prison break same as 2013 Khandwa jailbreak. The fugitives also used bed sheets as ropes to scale the towering wall before escaping on two bikes parked in the jail premises. They had also broken the bathroom wall in their escape bid. Two Constables who confronted them had suffered stab injuries. There was also a exchange of fire by the security forces who tried to prevent the escape, but it ended in vain. Banned in 2001, the SIMI has alleged links with home-grown terror outfit IM and several of its top leaders have been in jail.

Of the eight SIMI militants killed by the Madhya Pradesh Police in the outskirts of Bhopal, four -- Sheikh Mahboob alias Guddu, Amjad Khan alias Dawood, Zakir Hussein alias Sadiq and Mohammed Salik alias Sallu were arrested by the Telangana Police in a joint operation in Rourkela in Odisha in February, 2016. They were wanted in criminal cases registered in Telangana. Along with the four SIMI activists, Mahboob's mother Nazma Bi was also arrested by Telangana Counter Intelligence sleuths and the Odisha Police in the joint operation. After October 31 encounter in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana Police officials confirmed that the four were also named as accused in the April 2015 killing of a Constable and a home guard at Suryapet town in Nalgonda District in Telangana.

Underground members of the banned SIMI may use the Bhopal encounter, in which eight suspected SIMI terrorists were killed, to instigate Muslims against the central government and Madhya Pradesh government. Intelligence agencies have warned that SIMI may start its anti-national operations again with fresh recruitment. Intelligence agencies are of the view that the banned outfit would use Bhopal encounter to instigate Muslim youth to carry out terror attacks.

The Madhya Pradesh (MP) High Court rejected bail plea of suspected SIMI cadre - Mohammad Sajid alias Sheru for the third consecutive time. Sajid, a resident of Ujjain, was arrested by MP ATS from Jabalpur in June 2011 along with eight others, including Mehboob Guddu and Sheikh Mujeeb, who were killed by Police On October 31 after jailbreak incident. Charged with robbery in Piplia Mandi, Mandsaur District, Sheru was arrested by MPATS in an operation called "Operation Vijay" from a rented place in Ahmednagar Mohalla near Raja Chowk in Jabalpur with other SIMI/IM cadres. His first bail application was dismissed with direction to the trial court to conclude the trial within 15 months after framing of charge within one month. Second application was dismissed in view of earlier order dated January 20, 2016.

The NIA's probe against the Islamic State (IS) revealed that Shafi Armar alias Yusuf-al-Hindi alias Anjaan Bhai (29), a Bhatkal (Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka) resident, who allegedly handles the terror group's activities in India has over the past one year used contacts in Mumbai-based hawala ((illegal money transfer) networks to transfer funds for terror-related activities, including setting up of a base in India. Shafi Armar, who is absconding and is suspected of being in Syria, had used two unidentified Mumbai-based hawala couriers, including an unidentified lungi (male garment) trader, to allegedly transfer INR 586,000 in cash to a key associate a few months ago, according to a counter-terror agency official familiar with the NIA probe. The NIA has gathered witness statements to corroborate the alleged handover of funds via hawala - illegal channel - route. The NIA chargesheet identified Armar as an alleged member of the IS as well as the IM.

The Madhya Pradesh state government has ordered a probe into the escape of eight SIMI terror accused from Bhopal Central Jail, and senior Police officers in Madhya Pradesh have admitted that the jailbreak was not the result of lax policing, but an 'insider job', because of several discoveries that have alarmed investigators. A senior police officer said that the extent of insider help for the escape of the SIMI men was 'staggering'. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh also said that it was "impossible to escape without inside collusion" and alleged that the jailbreak was facilitated by "funding from outside".

Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh Government has constituted a judicial commission under chairmanship of High Court justice (retired) SK Pandey to probe into the recent incident in which Madhya Pradesh Police had claimed to have killed eight escaped operatives of the banned SIMI within hours of a pre-dawn jailbreak in Bhopal on October 30-31. The commission will probe both the pre-dawn jailbreak and the morning "encounter" on October 31 at Manikheda village under Gunga Police Station area on outskirts of Bhopal. The commission will be headquartered at Bhopal and will submit its report in three months from publication of notification, issued today, in state gazette. The notification issued in this regard, has fixed point of enquiry in the incident. The commission will probe the circumstances under which the SIMI operatives escaped from the Bhopal jail and will also probe who were responsible for the incident. It will also probe under what circumstance the encounter took place and if the police action was appropriate in view the prevalent situation at the time of encounter.

India

IB officials have reported the presence of several IM operatives in al-Qaeda camps of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There has been some murmur in these camps over the past couple of months with IM operatives of Indian origin training over there, the IB states. IM which split into two three years back. While one faction joined the IS the other moved towards the al-Qaeda. The past few months has witnessed a surge in activity. Indian recruits of the IM under Riyaz Bhatkal are being sent on a rotation basis to al-Qaeda camps situated both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is likely that they are being trained to fight alongside the al-Qaeda which has been facing immense losses in Afghanistan, the report also states. The move to be part of the al-Qaeda was a plan laid down by one of the founding members of the Indian Mujahideen, Riyaz Bhatkal who continues to be holed up in Karachi, Pakistan. There was a setback to this plan following the arrest of Yasin Bhatkal in 2013. This faction was lying low for a long time, but with the sudden surge in activity it appears as though they are planning on a grand revival, the IB report also states.

Delhi

The NIA has charged a suspected key IM operative Abdul Wahid Siddibapa, who was arrested in Delhi in May, 2016 with channelizing funds from Pakistan into India via Dubai for conducting terror activities in the country. The probe agency made the submission in its charge sheet filed before Special Judge Rakesh Pandit. "During investigation, the role and involvement of the accused has been established as a channelizer of the funds received from IM operatives in Pakistan via Dubai for use by IM operatives based in India for conducting terror activities," the charge sheet said. It added that the money was also regularly sent to the IM operatives lodged in jails and their families besides its absconding activists. "Investigation has disclosed that the IM had extensively used Hawala channel for providing funds to its cadres in India," it said. The charge sheet said, "From the probe, it is established that accused, as a member of proscribed terrorist organisation IM, entered into criminal conspiracy along with other co-operatives for commission of terror acts against Indian government, with intent to threaten unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of India and with intent to strike terror in people of India by causing death and injuries of people, and loss, damage and destruction of property." "The accused voluntarily and actively participated in the conspiracy and made efforts to wage terror activities with intent to support and strengthen the conspiracy hatched by IM operatives...The accused assisted the terror activities by means of channelizing the requisite funds meant for survival of the IM operatives and for the procurement of material required for affecting destruction with intent to strike terror in India, by causing death/injuries to persons and cause loss/damage to the property," the final report said.

Dubai

According to reports, a meeting in Dubai held on November 6 to discuss the plan on how to avenge the killing of the SIMI operatives who had escaped from the Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) jail of November 1, 2016 has come under the scanner of the intelligence bureau. The meeting that was conducted in the Deira area in Dubai discussed the complete details of a sinister plot on how to carry out a major attack in India. The attack would be focused on avenging the killing of the SIMI operatives, following which the IM would get into revival mode. During the meeting which was attended by a few residents of Bhatkal it was decided that the IM had to be revived at any cost.

Further the meeting also decided that a donation drive would be undertaken. The money would then be given to the families of the slain SIMI men. The intelligence bureau is however not impressed and says that this is another attempt at recruitment and the intention clearly is to expand the reach of the IM. The IM has been making attempts to revive itself and this meeting is only an indicator of that the Intelligence Bureau official also said.

Punjab

In the wake of virulent criticism of Ahmadiyya Muslim community and terrorist threat perception for their annual convention to be held in Punjab later on December 26, 2016, UMHA ordered a two-kilometre full-proof security perimeter around Ahmadiyya headquarters at Qadian in Gurdaspur District. Highly placed intelligence sources said that the UMHA has asked Punjab government to provide adequate security to Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Headquarters at Qadian.

The report prepared by UMHA, on the basis of intelligence inputs, says that efforts by the "rabid" groups to harm Ahmadiyya interest cannot be ruled out. The government report cited the statement of alleged IM and former SIMI operative Mohammed Mojibuillah Ansari, who had claimed that he planned to target places related to the Ahmadiyyas. Ansari was arrested in connection with 2013-Bodhgaya blast in Bihar. He had identified Punjab's Qadiani Centre among the targets for attack. SIMI operatives had allegedly undertaken reconnaissance of Qadian, he told investigators.

Hyderabad / Telangana

Five IM operatives, including co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, were convicted by a special NIA court in Hyderabad in connection with the 2013 blasts in Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad. The other four convicts are Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas from Pakistan, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi from Uttar Pradesh, Tahaseen Akhtar from Bihar and Aijaz Sheikh from Maharashtra. They are at present lodged in Cherlapally prison, where the special court heard the case. The sentencing has been posted for December 19, 2016. IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, the prime accused in the case, is absconding.

The six were charged under various sections of the IPC, Explosives Substances Act and UAPA, 1967. The trial began on August 24, 2015. By the time final arguments concluded in November, the NIA court had examined 453 witnesses and over 150 documents. The court reserved its judgment for November 21, and then posted it for December 13.

Hyderabad / Telangana

Prime accused in Dilsukhnagar blast case, and IM operative, Riyaz Bhatkal is believed to be holed up in Karachi, with the patronage of Pakistan's ISI. NIA detectives claim IM co-founder Riyaz made a huge amount of money courtesy the benevolence of ISI. "Several IM members received financial and material assistance from ISI, which has been providing shelter to Riyaz and his brother Iqbal Bhatkal in Karachi," the NIA said in its chargesheet filed in the Dilsukhnagar blast case. Officials said Riyaz is currently living a lavish life at a house in Karachi.

Riyaz's financial prosperity, a result of deciding to sail with the ISI, is what led to the IM split, an NIA source said. His decision was contrary to that of former IM members such as Shafi Armar who is reportedly in Syria luring Indians to join the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) - and others, who wanted to further the cause of either al Qaeda or the IS. As Riyaz reportedly has a passport issued by Pakistan, NIA officials are finding it difficult to track his movements and nab him.

Hyderabad / Telangana

Five IM operatives were awarded death penalty by a special NIA court in Hyderabad in the February 2013 Dilsukhnagar (Hyderabad) blasts case. This is the first case that any operative of the IM has been convicted. Earlier, on December 13, the court convicted the five operatives, including IM co-founder Mohammad Ahmed Sidibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akh-tar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu and Ajaz Shaikh, who are at present in judicial custody and lodged in the Cherlapally Central Prison here.

The court convicted Yasin Bhatkal and others under various sections of IPC, Arms Act, UAPA. The NIA special court, after hearing the defence and prosecution's arguments, pronounced the quantum of sentence. According to NIA, Riyaz Bhatkal arranged for explosive substances and directed Asadullah Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rahman at Mangalore to receive the same.

After receiving the explosive materials and the money sent by Riyaz through hawala and money transfer channels, Asadullah Akhtar and Waqas reached Hyderabad and joined Tahseen Akhtar, who was already hiding there, it had said. Together they prepared two IEDs after procuring the other required materials as well as two cycles for mounting the IEDs from Hyderabad, the agency had said. After preparation of the IEDs on February 21, 2013, the accused mounted two bombs on two bicycles. They had planted them in two separate places in Dilsukhnagar which resulted in powerful explosions, it had said.

Canada

Two anti-India terror organisations, IM and AQIS have been added to Canada's list of proscribed groups. Both groups were designated as terrorist entities under Canada's Criminal Code. The announcement was made by public safety and emergency preparedness minister Ralph Goodale. In a statement, the nodal department Public Safety Canada said the IM had "organised training in Pakistan with militant Islamist groups such as LeT - a listed entity under the Criminal Code". Following the listing, Canada will act against groups or individuals funding or associating with these two terror organisations. The statement said, "The Criminal Code mandates potentially severe penalties for persons and organisations that deal in the property or finances of a listed entity.