New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured the conviction of Adnanali Sarkar in the Maharashtra ISIS terror module case, with a special court in Mumbai sentencing him to rigorous imprisonment for up to six years and imposing a fine of Rs 65,000.
According to an NIA press release, the Special Court (NIA), Mumbai, convicted Sarkar on Saturday under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with Sections 201 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Sarkar was identified as accused number five in the case. The trial against the remaining five accused will continue, the agency said.
NIA Investigation Reveals Alleged ISIS Recruitment And Propaganda Network
The NIA registered the case at its Mumbai branch on June 28, 2023, on its own initiative after receiving information from the Ministry of Home Affairs about an alleged conspiracy involving ISIS members.
The investigation uncovered what the agency described as a wider conspiracy involving international links and handlers based abroad. According to the NIA, the accused were involved in promoting ISIS ideology, recruiting individuals, raising funds for terrorist activities and circulating propaganda material.
The material allegedly distributed included ISIS-linked magazines such as Voice of Hind and Voice of Khurasan.
Six people were chargesheeted in the case: Tabish Nasser Siddiqui, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala alias Lalabhai, Sharjeel Shaikh, Aakif Ateeque Nachan, Zubair Noor Mohammad Shaikh alias Abu Nusaiba, and Adnanali Sarkar.
The Special Court framed charges against all six arrested accused under the provisions mentioned in the chargesheet. All six are currently in judicial custody, according to the NIA.
NIA Conducts Searches In Fake Currency Case Across Three States
In a separate operation, the NIA recently carried out searches at eight locations across Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal in connection with a fake Indian currency notes (FICN) recovery case.
The investigation concerns the seizure of counterfeit currency with a face value of Rs 2,48,500 within the jurisdiction of Madanpur Police Station in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.
The agency said it seized digital devices, documents described as incriminating and Bangladeshi currency during the searches.
The case was initially registered at Madanpur Police Station on August 15 against four accused persons — Surendra Kumar, Vijay Yadav, Ranjan and Pradeep Saw.
The NIA took over the investigation after re-registering the case on October 18, following an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The agency said its investigation so far had indicated that the accused were involved in the smuggling of fake Indian currency.
