News Analysis India

Tag: NIA

  • NIA chargesheets suspected member of Hizb ut-Tahrir terrorist group 

    NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed a charge-sheet against Mohammed Iqbal, a suspected member of a terror group named Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in many countries.

    In the charge-sheet, which was filed in a special NIA court in Chennai, the agency said Iqbal, 31, conspired with other members of the terror group, professed and preached about establishing an Islamic State caliphate. 

    The charge-sheet was filed under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code. The agency said that the case was originally registered in Madurai, Tamil Nadu against Iqbal alias Senthil Kumar for uploading “denigrating posts” on Facebook. 

    An investigation revealed that the posts on the Facebook page “Thoonga Vizhigal Rendu is in Kazimar Street” were uploaded by the accused to incite communal disharmony amongst different religious groups, in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.

    The charge-sheet states that Iqbal created multiple social media accounts, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Telegram, WhatsApp etc to upload posts intending to disclaim, disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, and to excite disaffection towards the Indian government.

    Further investigation in the case is still on, the NIA officials said. Meanwhile, the NIA chargesheeted two Hizbul Mujahideen overground workers (OGWs) on Saturday in a case related to a criminal conspiracy to carry out terror attacks at in Uttar Pradesh.  

  • CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh gets additional charge of National Investigation Agency

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh has been given the additional charge of the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to replace YC Modi, who retires on Monday, a Home Ministry order said.

    Modi, a 1984-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was appointed chief of the federal anti-terror probe agency in September 2017.

    Consequent upon superannuation of YC Modi, DG, NIA, on May 31, 2021, the competent authority has approved that Kuldiep Singh, Director General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), shall hold additional charge of the post of DG, NIA, till the appointment and joining of the successor or until further orders, the MHA order issued on Saturday said.

  • NIA charge sheets seven Maoists for trying to further banned group’s activities

    By PTI
    VISAKHAPTANAM: The NIA on Friday charge sheeted seven operatives of the CPI (Maoist) for their alleged involvement in furthering the activities of the outlawed terrorist organisation, an official said.

    Pangi Naganna, Akkiraju Harigopal, members of the Central Committee of CPI (Maoist), Boppudi Anjamma of Amarula Bandhu Mitrula Sangham (ABMS), Rela Rajeshwari of Chaitanya Mahila Sangham (CMS), Anduluri Annapurna of Pragatisheela Karmika Samakhya (PKS), Manukonda Srinivasa Rao of VIRASAM and Jangala Koteshwar Rao of Pragatisheela Karmika Samakhya (PKS) have been named.

    The NIA has charged them for their role in conspiring, supporting and furthering the activities of the CPI (Maoist), a proscribed terrorist organisation, in Andhra Pradesh and nearby states, according to the official.

    The accused have been charge sheeted under sections of the IPC read with the UA(P) Act; the Explosives Substances Act and the Indian Arms Act.

    In November last year in Visakhapatnam, Naganna was intercepted by Munchingput Police while carrying Maoist literature and other incriminating materials, the NIA official said.

    On his disclosure, a large cache of explosives and arms were recovered which were to be further handed to the members of the CPI (Maoist) by Naganna, he said.

    The ABMS, CMS, PKS, VIRASAM and PKM are frontal organisations/Praja Sanghalu of CPI(Maoists) and were floated in pursuance to the Tactical United Front strategy of CPI (Maoist), the NIA official said.

    The five accused leaders of these frontal organisations used to meet Harigopal — advisor and in-charge of the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border and Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist) — and other leaders in the forest along with Naganna, who in the guise of working as a journalist, was organising the meetings and appointments with senior leaders of CPI (Maoist), the official said.

    During the meetings, the leaders of the frontal organisations used to discuss their strategy for organising agitations, dharnas, rasta roko and other activities against the government in order to spread their Maoist ideology and to garner support from various sections of society for the cause of CPI (Maoist), the NIA official said.

    Further investigation in the case continues, the official said.

    The development comes on a day when at least 13 Naxals including seven women cadres were killed in an encounter with police in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

    The slain ultras belonged to Kasunsur Dalam (squad) of the Naxals and were collectively carrying bounty of Rs 60 lakh on their heads, police said.

    The encounter took place on a day the state home minister was visiting the eastern Maharashtra district, over 900 km from Mumbai.

    A release by Gadchiroli Police said they had received inputs that Naxals had gathered in the Paidi forest area in Etapalli tehsil for extortion as auctions of Tendu leaves — used for making bidis or leaf cigarettes — were underway, hence a team of C-60 commandos, a special combat force of the district police, was sent to the area.

    The encounter took place between 6 am to 7.30 am as about 60 to 70 Naxals opened fire on C-60 commandos and kept firing despite an appeal to them to surrender, it added.

    After the Naxals fled into the dense forest, the bodies of six male and seven female cadres were found, while some more Naxals were possibly injured in the encounter but managed to escape, the police said.

    One AK-47 rifle, an SLR, a carbine, a .303 rifle and explosives were recovered from the spot.

    Ankit Goyal, Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli said at a press conference that the the encounter was a “tribute” to the 15 police personnel killed in an ambush in the district in 2019.

    As many as 27 Naxals have been killed in the district since September 2020, he added.

    Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, who was on his first visit to Gadchiroli after taking over the home portfolio following the resignation of Anil Deshmukh, praised the police for the operation.

    “Naxals are trying to weaken our democracy. I am proud that police officers and personnel are fighting them ably,” he told reporters.

    Among slain rebels, Nandini alias Prembatti Madavi carried a reward of Rs 6 lakh on her head, Satish alias Adve Mohanda carried a reward of Rs 16 lakh, Kishore alias Shivaji Gavde carried Rs 4 lakh bounty on his head, Rupesh alias Linga Gavde carried a reward of Rs 6 lakh on his head, Sevanti Hedo carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh on her head, and Kishore Holi carried a Rs 2 lakh bounty, police said.

    Kranti alias Reena Mattami carried Rs 2 lakh reward on her head, Guni alias Bakuli Hichami carried Rs 4 lakh bounty, Rajani Odi carried Rs 2 lakh bounty, Umesh Parsa carried Rs 6 lakh reward on his head, Saguna alias Vatsala Narot carried Rs 2 lakh reward, Somari alias Savita Netam carried a reward of Rs 6 lakh and Rohit alias Sonaru Karami carried Rs 2 lakh reward on his head.

  • PIL in SC seeks NIA probe into toolkit on COVID, suspension of political party status for Congress

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed on Tuesday seeking an investigation into toolkit on COVID-19 pandemic by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and suspension of membership of Congress party if the allegations against them are found to be true.

    Lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha made the Indian National Congress (INC) Party, Union of India (UOI), and Election Commission of India (ECI) as respondents in his PIL before the Apex Court. The petition sought direction to the Central government to register a preliminary inquiry pertaining to the alleged toolkit.

    Jha said that the toolkit matter must be probed to disclose any offence under section 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and to secure the custody of the said toolkit.

    The PIL also sought a direction to the Election Commission of India to suspend the registration of the Congress, if they are found to be allegedly doing anti-national acts and playing with the lives of the common people and a direction to the Union Government to issue necessary guidelines to each and every political party, group, and individual to stop all kinds of hoardings portraying an anti-national stance.

    Jha, in his PIL further sought necessary direction to the Central government against the usage of photos of funerals, dead bodies, naming of mutant COVID-19 variant after India and its Prime Minister, calling out a single religion for COVID-19.

  • NIA nabs militant wanted over attack on forces

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested Mayanglambam Siromani, a self-styled lieutenant of the outlawed People’s Liberation Army/Revolutionary People’s Front, over his alleged involvement in an ambush that killed one of Assam Rifles’ personnel in Manipur. 

    Mayanglambam SiromaniThe 32-year old Siromani of Manipur’s Kakching district was arrested by the anti-terror wing of the agency in Manipur. He had fled India and had taken shelter in Myanmar after the ambush, officials said. The ambush on a road-opening party of the fourth Assam Rifles at Chamol-Sajik Tampak Road in Manipur’s Chandel in 2017 killed one member of the Assam Rifles and another injured. Two terrorists were also killed in the encounter.

    Militants carried out the ambush on November 15, 2017 when the Assam Rifles team was conducting a road-opening task on the Chamol-Sajir Tampak road in the state’s Chandel district. In a statement, the anti-terror agency said that its probe has established that the militants conspired to wage war against the Government of India, and in furtherance of this conspiracy, they ambushed the Assam Rifles team.

    According to the agency, Siromani was involved in the conspiracy. He was charge-sheeted while being on the run. He was declared a proclaimed offender by the agency and a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh was announced for information leading to his arrest.

    Siromani was an active operative in the 252 mobile battalion of PLA/RPF based in Myanmar. He along with his co-accused had escaped after the ambush to Myanmar. The accused was produced before a special NIA court in Imphal and taken on a police remand for five days.

  • Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case: NIA disputes US firm’s report

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency has disputed a forensic report by a US firm which suggested that electronic evidence had been planted on the computer device belonging to activist Rona Wilson, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

    In an affidavit filed in Bombay High Court on Friday, the NIA said it “stoutly” denied the contents of the US firm’s report, adding that Wilson’s allegations of fabrication of evidence and planting of electronic evidence could not be accepted.

    The central agency said Wilson’s plea based on the US firm’s report was not maintainable and urged HC to dismiss it as well as impose cost on the activist for filing such a plea.

    In an affidavit filed through its officer Vikram Jhakate, the NIA said, “I stoutly deny the report.

    I say since the contention made in the petition regarding the aforesaid facts are not admitted by me, they are disputed questions of fact and hence cannot be entertained in the present writ petition,” the affidavit reads.

    The NIA further said the firm’s report and a news story carried in a magazine were not part of the charge sheet, and Wilson could not rely on them to seek quashing of charges.

    It further said that since the US firm’s report itself claimed it was difficult to identify the person who allegedly planted such evidence, it was on Wilson to prove allegations of fabrication of evidence at the time of trial.

    The NIA said the onus of explaining and identifying when and how evidence was planted was on Wilson himself since the alleged planting of electronic evidence took place before the FIR in the case was registered.

    “As far as the contention of the petitioner that there is fabrication of documents, planting of false evidence and scant regards to procedure established by law is concerned, the same is uncalled for at this stage,” the affidavit stated.

    It said Wilson’s plea was vague and based on “ifs and buts” and he himself was not sure of the person who allegedly planted the document.

    The NIA said Wilson had an alternate remedy of filing an application for discharge under Section 227 or 239 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

    It also said the US firm had no business giving such an opinion without the permission of the court at a time when the trial was pending and the issue was sub-juice.

    The central agency also said the purpose of Wilson’s plea was to delay the trial.

    Wilson approached HC earlier this year seeking quashing of charges as well as directions to appoint a Special Investigation Team, headed by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge and consisting of digital forensic analysis experts, to probe the planting of documents on his computer by using malware.

  • Mukesh Ambani security scare: NIA arrests one more Mumbai cop

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The NIA on Friday arrested Mumbai police inspector Sunil Mane in connection with the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence here and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, an official said.

    With this, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has so far arrested three police officers in Mumbai, including suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Waze and his colleague Riyaz Kazi, in connection with these cases.

    “Mane was called by the NIA for questioning on Thursday in connection with the Ambani security scare and Mansukh Hiran murder cases,” the official said.

    He was arrested after his involvement came to light, he said.

    Mane will be produced in a court, the official said.

    Following his arrest, Mane was taken to a state-run hospital for medical check-up, he added.

    The central agency had earlier arrested two more persons- suspended Mumbai police constable Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gor.

    Mane, who was in charge of Unit-11 (Kandivali) of the Mumbai crime branch, was transferred in the wake of the Ambani security scare case.

    The NIA had recorded his statement a few weeks ago, the official said.

    Mane had been questioned by the Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS), but senior officials had then claimed that he was cooperating with it in the investigation.

    The explosives-laden SUV was found near Ambani’s house in south Mumbai on February 25.

    Hiran, a Thane-based businessman, had claimed that he was in possession of the SUV, but the vehicle had been stolen before its recovery near Antilia, Ambani’s multi-storey residence.

    Hiran’s body was found in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    Hiran’s widow, Vimla, in her statement to the ATS had said that while leaving home on March 4, her husband had told her that he had received a call from ‘Tawade’, a police officer from Kandivali and he was going to meet him.

  • Ambani security scare case: NIA probing ‘fake encounter’ angle

    During a search of Waze #39;s house in Thane, the National Investigation Agency, which is conducting a probe into the case, had recovered the passport of a man, whose identity has not been revealed.

  • Deshmukh’s aides grilled in extortion case; NIA arrests Sachin Waze’s associate

    By Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The CBI on Sunday questioned two personal staffers of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the allegations of extortion leveled against him by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh.

    Deshmukh’s personal assistant Kundan Shinde and personal secretary Sanjeev Palande appeared before the CBI team in connection with its ongoing preliminary enquiry at the DRDO guest house in Santacruz.

    Parambir Singh, in his explosive letter, had claimed that Palande was present when Deshmukh had allegedly asked Sachin Waze to extort Rs 100 crore each month from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Waze, too, in his statement to the NIA had claimed that Shinde was present during one such conversation. Waze has since been arrested by the NIA in the Antilia bomb scare case.

    The CBI has so far recorded the statements of Singh, Sachin Waze, DCP Raju Bhujbal, ACP Sanjay Patil, advocate Jayshree Patil, a petitioner, and hotel owner Mahesh Shetty. Singh had moved the Bombay High Court after he was shunted out as the Mumbai Police Commissioner and dissed by Deshmukh.

    Taking note of the serious ness of the allegations, the HC had ordered a preliminary enquiry into the case by CBI and set a 15-day deadline for its report. Hours after the April 5 HC order, Deshmukh had resigned from the cabinet.

    Meanwhile, the NIA on Sunday arrested police officer Riyaz Kazi, an associate of suspended cop Sachin Waze, in connection with the case of an explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, a police official said.

    After his arrest, Kazi was produced before a holiday court here which remanded him in the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) custody till April 16 for further probe into the case.

    “Assistant police inspector (API) Kazi was called for questioning again by the NIA on Sunday and later placed under arrest,” the police official said.

    He was previously also questioned multiple times by the NIA in connection with the case of the SUV with explosives found near Ambani’s multi-storey residence ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai on February 25 and the subsequent death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    Kazi was shunted out of the Mumbai Crime Branch last month, the official said.

    After Kazi was presented in the court on Sunday, the NIA told the court that he was arrested for destroying evidences and that he is involved in the conspiracy of the case along with Waze, the main accused in the case.

    While seeking his remand for 10 days, the prosecution said that when the NIA startedconducting a parallel probe soon after explosives-laden vehicle was found, the accused allegedly killed Hiran fearing that he will disclose their plan.

    The prosecution also submitted that Kazi was well aware of the crime.

    After the case was transferred to the central agency, the accused started destroying evidences like CPU and DVR and others, the NIA told the court.

    Kazi’s custody is required to confront him with every recovered article, documents, witnesses.

    Waze has given half the facts andKazi’s interrogation iss required to find out under whose guidance he destroyed the evidence, it said.

    He also needs to be interrogated about the source of the gelatin sticks (found in the SUV).

    Opposing the remand plea, Kazi’s lawyer, Hasnain Kazi, argued that his client was not involved in the destruction of evidence.

    The accused has been going to the NIA office for interrogation since the last20 days and co-operating with theinvestigation, hence his custody was not required, the lawyer said.

    After hearing both the sides, the judge remanded the accused to NIA’s custody till April 16.

    According to police, in a CCTV footage, Kazi was seen entering a number plates shop in suburban Vikhroli and having a conversation with the outlet’s owner.

    He was also seen taking away a digital video recorder and a computer of the shop.

    Kazi was also seen collecting CCTV footage from Waze’s housing complex in neighbouring Thane, the official said.

    The probe agency suspects that Kazi assisted Waze in obtaining fake number plates used for the SUV found with explosives near Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai, he said.

    Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    The NIA arrested Waze on March 13 in connection with its probe into the case.

    The probe agency had also arrested former policeman Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gor.

    All the three are currently in judicial custody.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Elgar Parishad case: Court seeks to know how defence got forensic report

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A special NIA court here hearing the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case has sought to know from a defence lawyer as to how he received a report of a digital forensics firm, which claimed that the evidence produced by the prosecution was planted after computer of one of the accused was hacked.

    The court sought this clarification on Thursday.

    The report of the firm, Arsenal Consulting, was addressed to the special court.

    However, the court said that it has not received it so far as.

    The legal team of activist Anand Teltumbde, arrested in the case, had recently submitted the report to the court while arguing for his bail.

    “On inquiry with the sheristedar (a court official), it is reported that the court has not received such a report (addressed to it),” it said.

    The record reveals that at no point of time, the agency namely Arsenal Consulting was called upon by this court to submit the report, the court said in its note that was made available on Friday.

    The court then asked that although it is yet to receive the copy of the report that is addressed to it, how did the defence lawyers get access to it.

    The court asked Teltumbde’s lawyer to clarify how he got the document.

    Meanwhile, special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty objected to the report being relied upon by the defence while seeking bail for Teltumbde.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which submitted its reply on Thursday, said, “The authenticity of the report remains a question.

    It cannot be admitted at this stage. It has to be tested at the time of the trial.” The Arsenal report states that activist Rona Wilson’s laptop and thumb drive had been compromised for 22 months by the same attacker before it was seized by Pune police.

    It further claimed that the attacker had planted the alleged letters that incriminated accused Rona Wilson and others on the laptop using a malware which was not known to Wilson.

    In January this year, Teltumbde had filed a bail plea in the special court, claiming that no evidence was found against him and the prosecution theory that he was abetting others to wage a war against the government was all “humbug”.

    Opposing his bail, the probe agency has said it is “absolutely false” to say there isno evidence against the accused.

    Teltumbde and some other activists were initially booked by the Pune police after violence erupted near Koregaon-Bhima, on outskirts of Pune city, a day after the Elgar Parishad conclave was held in Pune The Pune police had alleged that inflammatory speeches and provocative statements made at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on December 31, 2017, triggered the violence at Koregaon-Bhima the next day.

    According to police, the event was “backed” by Maoists.

    The NIA later took over the probe into the case.