Karnataka (Islamist/Other Conflicts): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2020

On January 7, Q-branch of the Chennai police and National Investigating Agency (NIA) busted a suspected Islamic State (IS) terror module and arrested three terrorists from Gurappanapalya in Bengaluru in Karnataka, reports New Indian Express. The trio identified as Mohammed Haneef Khan, Imran Khan and Mohammed Zaid was arrested along with 89 rounds of bullets, three pistols, some bomb-making material and incriminating documents, a gripper-like instrument used to climb walls from them. Read less...

A team of Punjab Police in coordination with the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru Police, arrested a Khalistani militant from Bengaluru District of Karnataka in India on January 9, reports Deccan Herald. The arrested militant has been identified as Jarnail Singh Sidu alias Jarnail Singh Sandhu (38), a resident of Mohali District of Punjab and a native of Hyderabad District of Telangana. As per the report, Jarnail Singh was residing in a paying guest (PG) accommodation in a private firm in Manyata Tech Park in Bengaluru city. The Police officials said that Punjab’s State Special Operation Cell had registered a case against Jarnail Singh in March 2019. Upon learning that the Police were on to him, Jarnail Singh escaped from Mohali six months ago and came to Bengaluru. He then took accommodation in a PG accommodation and joined the private firm. He was in contact with Khalistan militants in Punjab. On receiving information about his presence in the city, the Police team arrested him from the said accommodation. According to a senior Official, “Jarnail Singh was one of the militants involved in the Khalistan movement to advocate for a separate Sikh nation and was constantly in touch with the group suspected to have been involved in terrorist attacks in Punjab.” Read less...

Abdul Shameem and Thoufiq, the two prime suspects involved in the murder of Tamil Nadu special sub-inspector (SSI) of police Y Wilson was arrested from Udupi Railway Station (Udupi) in Karnataka on January 14, reports Hindustan Times. Earlier, South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) reported on January 8 night Wilson was shot dead by two suspected Islamic State (IS) terrorists at Padanthaalumoodu checkpost in Kanniyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. The police had recovered three empty shells and two live .32 pistol ammunition from the spot. Police were able to identify the suspects with the help of CCTV footages, which showed the two assailants running towards Thiruvananthapuram on the National Highway. Read less...

On January 17, Police arrested six Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) members, identified as Irfan, Syed Akbar, Syed Siddiqui, Akbar Basha, Sanaulla and Sadiq Amin, all residents of KG Halli in Bengaluru city for causing injury to a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker in a pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rally on December 22, 2019, reports Firstpost. According to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner the SDPI members wanted to create a panic situation so that people would flee, thereby making it easier for them to eliminate their targets. "We have named them as the Bengaluru terror module of chapter-1. All of them are in our custody. They wanted to kill the main speakers of the event (pro-Citizenship Amendment Act rally)," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said. Read less...

Mangaluru Police on January 20 recovered an unattended laptop bag with a crude explosive device from Bajpe airport in Mangaluru (Dakshina Kannada District) of Karnataka, reports Indian Express. The low intensity explosive device (IED) inside a tiffin box-type metal container placed in the laptop bag was later moved by the bomb squad to an open field near the airport in a bomb disposal container and defused. According to Mangaluru Police, CCTV footage revealed that a man in a cap and a white shirt and dark pants who is believed to come in an auto rickshaw suspected to have abandoned the bag at the airport. Further investigation is going on as Police has registered a case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Act. Read less...

Karnataka SIT probing Gauri Lankesh case has stated that Nallasopara arms haul case arrestee Pratap Judishtar Hajra was allegedly a guest trainer at arms and bomb-training camp held at Mangalore in 2015 of Sanatan Sanstha which was responsible for killing of Gauri Lankesh, reports Indian Express on January 25. Hajra who was arrested on January 20 in West Bengal, as reported in South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), was one of the IED experts who gave training to the killers of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh. Lankesh was shot dead outside her Bengaluru home on September, 5, 2017. According to Maharashtra ATS, Pratap Judishtar Hajra who has been associated with radical outfit Bhavani Sena, has allegedly participated in a conspiracy with persons linked to the Sanstha to carry out a bomb attack on the Sunburn music festival in Pune in 2017 after declaring that it promotes “Western culture” and erodes Hindu culture. Read less...