New Delhi:

 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested a wanted accused involved in the trafficking of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas into India through the northeastern borders.

Jalil Miah, a resident of Tripura, has been arrested by the NIA team, an official statement said.

The NIA had in February declared a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Jalil, who was absconding in the case, in addition to nine others.

As per the NIA investigations, a large number of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas are being trafficked to India every month through the porous stretches of the Indo-Bangladesh border.

They are further transported to different parts of the country provided fake documents and forced into labour, according to the statement issued by the probe agency.

“In yet another success in its fight against human traffickers operating across the country, the NIA on Tuesday arrested a key conspirator in a case relating to trafficking of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas through the north-eastern borders,” it said.

Thirty-three persons were arrested earlier in the case, which the NIA had taken over from the Assam Special Task Force (STF) that had originally registered an FIR on March 22, 2023, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Passport Act 1967.

The NIA has so far chargesheeted 24 accused.

Investigations have revealed that Jalil was one of the main conspirators in the human trafficking racket and a close associate of chargesheeted accused Jiban Rudra Pal alias Jibon alias Suman.

He was also closely associated with two other absconders, Juj Miah and Shanto, all hailing from Tripura, the NIA said.

Though Jalil had managed to escape during the initial operation on November 8, 2023, in which 29 accused were arrested, the NIA said, adding electronic devices and other incriminating documents seized from his residence had pointed to his complicity.

Pan India searches conducted by the NIA in November 2023 had led to the seizure of a whole lot of incriminating data, including digital devices, along with foreign currency (Bangladeshi Taka and US Dollar), Aadhaar cards, PAN cards etc.

A subsequent crackdown on December 29 last year had led to the arrest of another four accused in the case, exposing a massive network of human traffickers, the NIA said.

“The manhunt for tracking the other absconders is continuing and investigations are in progress to connect the missing links in the elaborate racket,” it said.

In a related development, the NIA had on Monday carried out a coordinated operation with the state police forces and central intelligence agencies across all the locations in connection with its probe in an international human trafficking and cyber fraud racket.

Five accused were arrested by the state police forces during these searches.

The youths were being forced to work in fake call centres at Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Laos and Cambodia, among other places, as part of the racket, controlled and operated mainly by foreign nationals.

They were also coerced into undertaking illegal activities online such as credit card fraud, investments in cryptocurrency using fake applications, honey trapping, etc. by the accused persons and their other members of the human trafficking syndicate.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday chargesheeted Thaha Naseer, another accused in the 2022 ISIS-inspired Coimbatore car bomb blast case, an official statement said.

Naseer and his associates had conspired to wage war against the government of India and also to kill Indians in order to destabilise the country and create communal disharmony, it said.

Naseer is the 14th accused to be chargesheeted in the case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

“NIA on Friday filed its third supplementary chargesheet in the case relating to an explosion in front of the heritage Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil Temple at Eswaran Kovil Street in Ukkadam, Coimbatore,” said the statement issued by the probe agency.

The blast was triggered on October 23, 2022 by a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), driven by accused Jamesha Mubeen, who was killed in the blast.

The explosion was aimed at avenging the alleged incarceration of Mohammed Azaruddin in prison, the NIA said.

Azaruddin was arrested in 2019 for propagating the ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) ideology and had abetted his associates and hatched the conspiracy to target Kafirs (non-believers of Islam) while inside the prison, it added.

The NIA investigations have revealed that Naseer was a close associate of Jamesha Mubeen and Umar Faaruq, the Amir or leader of the terror attack.

Umar Faaruq had recruited like-minded individuals, including the deceased accused Jamesha Mubeen, along with Mohammed Thoufeek and Naseer, the statement said.

He had gathered the recruits in a secluded region, Jalakumadavu alias Jothimadavu, in the core forest zone of Sathyamangalam Reserve Forest, Erode district, and planted an ISIS flag in the region and declared it as their ilaka/province, it added.

The recruits were provided jungle training by Umar, who had also assigned roles to the accused persons for carrying out the blast, the NIA said.

As per the NIA investigations, Mohammed Thoufeek and Naseer had visited the house of Jamesha Mubeen a week before the blast and had planned to use the explosives to carry out a series of terror attacks.

“The larger aim of the conspiracy was to wage war against the government of India by targeting its various branches, i.e., general administration, police, judiciary, etc. and also to target and kill Indians in order to destabilise the country and create communal disharmony,” it said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted searches at nine locations in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, in a case linked to terror activities.

The ongoing raids, initiated early Monday, are being conducted in collaboration with security forces at various sites associated with individuals linked to terrorism as part of a case registered by the agency in 2022.

Acting on specific information received regarding certain suspects residing in Srinagar, the anti-terror agency launched the searches.

The search operation was conducted almost a month after the NIA chargesheeted two accused in the Kokernag (Jammu and Kashmir) encounter case.

The suspects in the case are linked to The Resistant Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), sources said.

Both LeT and TRF are proscribed organisations and have been involved in the continuous instigation and motivation of Kashmiri youth to join the terror outfits in the name of ‘Jihad’.

The two outfits are operating on social media platforms like Twitter, Telegram and Youtube channels to promote their cause and lure unemployed youth to carry out terror activities.

LeT is the largest terrorist group formed in the early 1990s and is actively engaged in reviving the network in the Anantnag area.

It is working through various offshoots in the Jammu and Kashmir region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The country’s top anti-terror agency NIA has strongly refuted allegations of assaulting residents in West Bengal’s Bhupatinagar, where its team had gone as part of its searches into a blast case that killed three people in December 2022.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a statement said its team came under “violent attack by an unruly mob” when they had gone to conduct searches in Naruabila village.

“The attack was completely unprovoked and uncalled-for, and an attempt to obstruct NIA from carrying out its lawful duties,” the NIA said.

It said the searches were conducted at five locations in the presence of independent witnesses, and under the security cover provided by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which included women constables.

The NIA had eventually arrested two key conspirators in connection with the bomb blast case in East Midnapore district. They were arrested following all lawful procedures, the NIA said.

The attack on the NIA team while they were arresting Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana was aimed at stopping the team from reaching the Bhupatinagar police station to complete the arrest formalities.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee alleged the NIA was working for the BJP.

“Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJP’s dirty politics,” Ms Banerjee said.

The Bengal Chief Minister accused NIA personnel of assaulting residents in Bhupatinagar rather than the villagers initiating the attack.

The NIA in its statement, alluding to Ms Banerjee’s allegations, said an aggressive crowd had assaulted the NIA personnel who were taking the accused to the police station. “One NIA officer was injured and an official vehicle was damaged in the attack. The NIA has filed a police complaint seeking legal action against the assailants,” the anti-terror agency said.

Manobrata Jana and Bailicharan Maity had failed to appear before the NIA despite repeated summons. The NIA then filed an application before a special NIA court in Kolkata, which on April 3 in an order said the allegations were of very serious nature.

The special court had also said the NIA was “at liberty to proceed with the investigation as expeditiously as possible, and to take all necessary action with regard to arrest, search and seizure of the houses of the suspects/accused persons, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Criminal Code of Procedure, NIA Act and UA(P)A so far applicable for a proper and thorough investigation.”

New Delhi:

Eleven more accused have been arrested for the conspiracy relating to the communal violence that took place during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal in March last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Tuesday.

These arrests by the federal agency have come less than a month after 16 people were apprehended in the six cases that were transferred to the NIA on April 27, 2023.

These 11 accused were also among those involved in conspiring and perpetrating the attacks on members of a particular community, triggered by one such incident during a procession to celebrate Ram Navami in Shibpur, Howrah Police Commissionerate, on March 30, 2023, the NIA said in the statement.

During the course of its investigations, NIA had identified the accused from video footage seized from various locations, it said.

Investigations also led the NIA to other major revelations, resulting in these arrests, as well as the arrest of 16 persons on February 26, this year.

The 11 arrested accused have been identified as Shamim Ahmed alias Bare, Balwant Singh, Mehmud Alam, Mehfooz  Alam alias Sonu, Shamshad Alam alias Danish, Mohammad Ali alias Suraj, Salim Jawed alias Jawad, Sarfaraz Alam alias Lalan, Firoj Khan, Md Sameer Ansari alias Raj and Shamshad Hussain alias Shamshad Ali alias Raja, the statement said.

All of them are residents of Shibpur, Howrah.

The case was initially registered by the West Bengal police against 36 persons in the wake of the communal violence triggered by the attack at 4th By Lane, PM Basti, Shibpur, Howrah.

The Calcutta High Court had, on April 27, 2023, ordered the transfer of all the cases related to the spate of communal violence that took place during the Ram Navami celebrations to the NIA.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released new photographs of the suspect linked to the Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast which left 10 people injured. The anti-terror agency, which took over the case on March 3, has sought the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect who is believed to have planted an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the popular Bengaluru eatery on March 1.

CCTV footage captured the prime suspect boarding a bus approximately an hour after the blast occurred at the cafe. The timestamp on the video reads 2:03 pm on March 1, with the blast taking place at 12:56 pm. The suspect, wearing a T-shirt, cap, and facemask, was seen leaving behind a bag containing the IED in the cafe.

In another footage from the same day at around 9 pm, the suspect is observed roaming inside a bus station. The NIA has urged citizens to come forward with any information that may lead to the identification and apprehension of the suspect, offering a reward of Rs 10 lakh for valuable information.

NIA seeks citizen cooperation in identifying the suspect linked to the #RameswaramCafeBlastCase. Call 08029510900, 8904241100 or email to info.blr.nia@gov.in with any information. Your identity will remain confidential. #BengaluruCafeBlastpic.twitter.com/ISTXBZrwDK

— NIA India (@NIA_India) March 9, 2024

The Central Crime Branch of the Bengaluru police is collaborating with the NIA in the investigation. A cloth merchant from Kaul Bazaar in Ballari district and a cadre associated with the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to the probe team, the suspect changed his clothes after the incident and traveled by bus to different locations, including Tumakuru, Ballari, Bidar, and Bhatkal. CCTV footage reveals the suspect frequently altering his appearance to evade detection.

Cafe Reopens

The Rameshwaram Cafe resumed operations today with enhanced security measures. Metal detectors have been installed at the entrance, and customers are subjected to screening using handheld detectors to ensure the safety of patrons and staff.

Raghavendra Rao, the co-founder and CEO of The Rameshwaram Cafe, said, “We have strengthened our security team and are also trying to set up a separate panel involving ex-servicemen who could train our security guards at all our branches.”

New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key member of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with the murder of Kerala-based Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Srinivasan in April last year, the agency said on Friday.

Shihab alias Babu had been on the run since the commission of the crime, the NIA said in a statement, adding its dedicated team successfully traced him to his residence in Kerala’s Malappuram district and subsequently detained him.

Srinivasan was killed in Palakkad on April 16, 2022.

“Investigations revealed that Shihab was an integral part of the terror ecosystem being operated by the Popular Front of India (PFI), which was responsible for orchestrating the murder of Srinivasan,” said the NIA.

It is believed that Shihab, acting in line with a conspiracy hatched by the PFI leaders, harboured Muhammed Hakeem, who, at the behest of PFI leadership, was responsible for the destruction of crucial evidence in the case, said the NIA.

On March 17 this year, the NIA filed a chargesheet against a total of 59 accused in the case. Subsequently, on May 16 this year, NIA’s Absconder Tracking Team achieved a significant milestone by tracking down and apprehending Saheer K V, who had been on the run for long.

So far, the NIA said, a total of 69 individuals have been identified as being involved in the conspiracy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A special NIA court here convicted an operative of banned global terror group ISIS and sentenced him to seven years in jail, an official said on Tuesday. Adnan Hassan, who was arrested on January 29, 2016, over his affiliation with ISIS, was convicted by the special court in Delhi on Monday, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

He was handed over the jail sentence along with a fine of Rs 4,000 under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The official said Hassan was found guilty in the case related to the ISIS Abu Dhabi module. The case pertains to the criminal conspiracy involving Indian nationals Sheikh Azhar Al Islam Sattar Sheikh, Mohammed Farhan Mohammed Rafiq Shaikh and Adnan Hassan.

“These individuals are members of the proscribed terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), along with other yet unidentified associates. Their conspiracy aimed at identifying, motivating, radicalizing, recruiting, and training susceptible youths for planning and execution of terrorist attacks,” the spokesperson said.

The NIA had registered a case on January 28, 2016, under relevant sections of IPC and UA(P)A as on the orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

“The investigation has revealed that Hassan used a variety of online platforms and methods, including posts, news articles, comments, videos, images, and the commentary of Islamic scholars, to motivate individuals to join ISIS. He also provided financial support to the accused Abdullah Basith and other associates,” the spokesperson said.

On the basis of evidence, a chargesheet was filed against Hassan in the special court on July 25, 2016. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Army says officer injured in ‘grenade accident’ at a post in J&K’s Rajouri

The Army on October 5 evening said one officer has been injured in a likely grenade accident at a post in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri sector. “The officer was evacuated and stable post initial treatment. Further investigation of the incident in progress,” the Army said in an official statement. 

Sikkim flash floods death toll mounts to 18; searches on for 98 missing people

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim mounted to 18 on Thursday as Army and NDRF teams worked their way through slushy earth and fast flowing water in the Teesta river basin and downstream north Bengal for the second day in search of those who were swept away and are still missing, officials said. Ninety eight people, including 22 army personnel, remained missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood, Chief Secretary V.B. Pathak said.

Supply copy of FIR to NewsClick founder, court tells Delhi Police

The Patiala House Court on Thursday allowed news portal NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and its human resource head Amit Chakraborty to get a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case filed against them by the Delhi Police. The police had opposed the application earlier in the day. Additional sessions judge Hardeep Kaur passed the order after hearing the counsel of the accused, Arshdeep Singh, and Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava.

Amit Shah suggests uniform anti-terrorism structure under NIA for all States 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that along with a ruthless approach, an uniform anti-terrorism structure should be established under the purview of National Investigation Agency (NIA) in all the States. Mr. Shah made the remarks at the inauguration of the two-day anti-terror conference organised by the NIA.

INDIA parties speak up for arrested AAP MP Sanjay Singh; Congress gives qualified support

The Congress has extended qualified support to Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who was arrested on Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its money laundering probe linked to the Delhi excise policy case. Equating Mr. Singh’s arrest with that of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in Punjab, the party’s general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said, “We cannot become those we oppose”. The remark was also a swipe at the AAP government in Punjab over the arrest of Mr. Khaira. 

IIT-Bombay ‘veg. table’ row | Dean says policy made by elected body, calls protest ‘provocative, insensitive’

As voices against the policy of a hostel canteen of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), segregating certain tables for vegetarian food begin to grow louder within the campus, the Dean of Student Affairs (SA) on October 5 sent an email to all students and staff on the issue, the first from the administration on the controversy.

India, Canada in conversation on parity of diplomatic staff: MEA

India and Canada are in conversation about attaining “parity” in the diplomatic staff posted in each other’s missions, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. During his weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reiterated India’s charge of Canadian “interference” in India’s internal affairs and indicated that India expects Canada to reduce the total number of its diplomats stationed here. 

India conveys concerns to U.S. over American envoy to Pakistan’s visit to Gilgit-Baltistan

India on Thursday said it raised its concerns with the U.S. over American envoy to Islamabad Donald Blome’s recent visit to Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and called on the world community to respect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Reports say dozens have been killed and wounded as drone strikes hit a Syrian military ceremony

A drone attack struck a packed graduation ceremony for military officers in the Syrian city of Homs on Thursday, killing and wounding dozens, including civilians and military personnel, reports said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and the reports could not be independently confirmed.

EU Parliament decries ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Nagorno-Karabakh

EU lawmakers on Thursday accused Azerbaijan of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” against the Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, and urged the bloc to impose sanctions on Baku. Almost all of the 120,000-strong ethnic Armenia population has fled the breakaway region since Azerbaijan seized it back in a lightning offensive last month.

Chinese firm sold satellites for intelligence to Russia’s Wagner: contract

Russian mercenary group Wagner in 2022 signed a contract with a Chinese firm to acquire two satellites and use their images, aiding its intelligence work as the organisation sought to push Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a document seen by AFP. The contract was signed in November 2022, over half a year into Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in which the Wagner group under its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was playing a key role on the battlefield.

Musk’s X strips headlines from news links

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has stripped headlines from news articles shared by users, in a move likely to further worsen relations with media groups. The tycoon has long railed against the “legacy media” and claims X, formerly Twitter, is a better source of information. However, he said the latest change was for “aesthetic” reasons — news and other links now appear only as pictures with no accompanying text.

Political stability, policy consistency needed to ensure Indian economy’s growth to world’s third-largest: FM

Taking on critics who argue that India will become the world’s third largest economy in a few years with or without government intervention, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that political stability and policy consistency was essential for the prospect to turn into a reality, especially in a world marred by unprecedented volatility. 

Lower prices for tomatoes, chillis and LPG may have pulled food inflation down last month

Retail food inflation may have eased in September, thanks to cooling tomato prices and a reduction in LPG cylinder prices, even as onion prices rose further during the month, a CRISIL study on food plate costs suggested. Retail inflation had eased to 6.83% in August from a 15-month high of 7.44% in July, but food price inflation stood at about 10%.

SEBI to tell court Adani inquiry began 2014, but hit dead end: sources

Markets regulator SEBI will tell the Supreme Court why it paused, then restarted investigations into the Adani Group after a tip in 2014 amid questions around regulatory delays, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. SEBI will say for the first time that India’s customs authority alerted it to an alleged misuse of offshore funds by Adani Group companies in 2014 but that the initial investigation did not yield anything and was paused in 2017, the sources said.

Asian Games | Indian compound archery teams’ domination complete

With the scores tied at 200 each, Indian archers needed to hit three perfect 10s in a row to stay alive in the compound women’s team final at the Fuyang Arena. First, Parneet Kaur hit a 10 before Aditi Swami and Jyothi Surekha followed suit with 10s to put the pressure back on Chinese Taipei. Taipei slipped up with the first arrow which assured India’s gold medal and it won 230-229 Later, the trio of Abhishek Verma, Ojas Pravin Deotale and Prathamaesh Jawkar won the men’s team gold by beating South Korea 235-230 in the final.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the NIA to file its reply within four weeks to a plea by activist Gautam Navlakha, who is under house arrest at a Mumbai public library in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, seeking a change of address.

A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and J B Pardiwala was told by Navlakha’s lawyer that the Supreme Court had directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file its reply in April but it has not submitted its response till date.

On November 10, 2022, the top court had allowed Navlakha, who was then lodged in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja prison, to be placed under house arrest owing to his deteriorating health.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the NIA, had opposed the order of house arrest.

While ordering his house arrest, the court had initially directed the activist to deposit Rs 2.4 lakh as expenses to be borne by the state for making available police personnel to effectively facilitate placing the petitioner under house arrest.

On the last date of the hearing, the top court had directed Navlakha to deposit another Rs 8 lakh as an expense for making available police personnel for his security.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which police claim triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the city.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)