Hyderabad: A special NIA court has on Monday awarded death penalty to five members of the banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in connection with the 2013 Hyderabad blasts case. The court convicted Yasin Bhatkal and other four operatives under him, after hearing the final arguments on November 7.
This is the first instance in which an operative of the Indian Mujahideen has been convicted.
The special court convicted all the five accused including IM co-founder Mohd Ahmed Sidibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi and Ajaz Shaikh on December 13 and delivered the quantum of sentence on Monday (December 19). The convicts are currently lodged in Cherlapally Jail under Judicial custody.
It took the police almost four years to finally put the accused behind the bars. However, the main accused in the case and also the founder of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen Riyaz Bhatkal is absconding and a search team has been formed to catch him as soon as possible.
As many as 18 people were killed and 131 injured, when two deadly blasts took place in Dilsukhnagar on February 21, 2013. “Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in the city was selected by the terrorists to target innocent people. Being a crowded area it helped them to place bicycles arranged with bombs at two different locations”, the NIA said. “Riyaz Bhatkal arranged for the explosives and directed his operatives at Mangalore to receive the same. After receiving the money and the explosives sent by Bhatkal, they started to work for a bomb blast with the help of another person from the city. Terrorists used two bicycles to carry the explosive materials to the target locations so that no one got doubt”.
The NIA court has convicted Yasin Bhatkal and his members under various sections of the Indian Penal code, Unlawful activities prevention act, and the Arms act.
