Delhi court convicts 4 IM operatives for nationwide terror attack plot

A Delhi court on Monday convicted four Indian Mujahideen operatives in a 2012 case of hatching a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the government by carrying out terrorist attacks across the country.

Special Judge Shailender Malik held the accused -- Danish Ansari, Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, and Obaid-Ur-Rehman – under various sections of the IPC and the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The court passed the order noting that the accused had pleaded guilty on July 7.

The judge will hear arguments on the quantum of punishment on July 12 and the convicts can get a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the offences.

The NIA had lodged the case in September 2012 under Sections 121A (conspiracy to wage war against Government of India) and 123 (Concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of the IPC.

They were also charged under sections 17 (raising funds for terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terror act), 18A (organising terrorist camps), 18B (recruiting persons for terrorist act) and 20 (being member of terror organisation) of the UAPA.

The agency alleged that the accused were undertaking large-scale recruitment/ induction of new members, for the commission of the terrorist act in various parts of the country with the active aid and support from their Pakistan-based associates and with their sleeper cells within the country "to commit the terrorist act by causing bomb blasts at important and prominent places in India, especially in Delhi".

"Source information revealed that IM operatives and its frontal organisations are receiving regular funding from abroad to finance their terror activities," the NIA said.