Pune: NIA Court Sentences 5 to Imprisonment in ISIS and ISKP Terror Conspiracy Case 

The court handed down varying prison terms against the defendants for their roles in conspiring to promote ISIS ideology and incite violence across the country.

8 May 2024

By Sukhmani Kooner 

The NIA Special Court in New Delhi has delivered verdicts in a case involving 5 individuals accused of plotting to advance the agenda of the banned Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) in India. The court handed down varying prison terms against the defendants for their roles in conspiring to promote ISIS ideology and incite violence across the country.

The case dates back to 8th March, 2020, when the Delhi Police Special Cell apprehended Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh from Okhla Vihar, Jamia Nagar, for their association with ISKP, an offshoot of ISIS. Subsequent investigations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) led to the arrest of two more individuals, Sadiya Anwar Shaikh and Nabeel S Khatri from Pune on 12th July, 2020. Another suspect, Abdur Rahman, was apprehended in August 2020, with his trial still ongoing.

During the probe, it was revealed that Abdur Rahman, a medical student from Bengaluru, had been radicalised by the other accused and had travelled to Syria in 2013, participating in various terrorist activities and acquiring skills to develop applications for ISIS, including medical and missile technologies.

The NIA filed chargesheets in the case on 20th March, 2020, and 12th January, 2021 respectively, detailing the accused’s involvement in promoting ISIS ideology and planning violent acts in India. In its recent ruling, the NIA court sentenced the defendants for various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P)A) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Jahanzaib Sami received sentences ranging from 3 to 20 years in prison, along with fines, for planning to establish a caliphate in India and conspiring to carry out 100 IED blasts nationwide. His involvement in raising funds through cryptocurrency to support ISIS ideology and exploiting youth sentiments during anti-CAA/NRC protests was also highlighted.

Hina Bashir Beigh was sentenced to 7 years in jail for aiding her husband in furthering ISIS’s agenda in India, while Abdullah Basith received a sentence equivalent to the time already served. Sadiya Anwar Shaikh and Nabeel Siddick Khatri were both convicted and sentenced to 7 and 15 years, respectively, for their roles in supporting ISIS and facilitating terrorist activities.

Khatri was also fined Rs. 2.5 lakh and faces an additional 2-year imprisonment if unable to pay the fine. The convictions underscore the NIA’s efforts to combat terrorism and uphold national security against threats posed by extremist organisations like ISIS and its affiliates.