Terror accused woman in NIA custody tests COVID-19 positive

A Kashmiri woman, who was arrested earlier this year for allegedly planning a terror attack in the country during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in New Delhi, has been sent for treatment after the National Investigation Agency informed a court that she tested positive for COVID-19.

Submitting a medical report before the Metropolitan Magistrate, the NIA, while moving an application for judicial remand of Hina Bashir Beigh, her husband Jahanzaib Sami and Abdul Basith till July 4, informed that the woman accused had tested positive for COVID-19 conducted ahead of shifting her to Tihar Jail.

In her one-page order, the judge said the accused, who were produced through video conference, were remanded to judicial custody till July 4.

However, accused Hina Bashir Beigh shall be immediately taken to LNJP hospital for her treatment for COVID-19 and upon completion of her treatment, she shall be remanded to Tihar Jail for the remaining judicial custody till July 4, the order said.

The court also asked the NIA to send her judicial custody remand papers along with the medical report to Tihar Jail superintendent to take immediate steps for custody in the hospital during the course of her treatment.

The three accused, allegedly having links with Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), were arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police in March this year and later sent to judicial custody on March 23.

Basith was already lodged in jail in another case being probed by the NIA when the Delhi Police arrested him in the present matter.

The case was later transferred to the NIA, which lodged a case on March 20 under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 124-A (sedition) and 153-A (provocation for causing riot) of Indian Penal Code and sections 13 (punishment for unlawful activities) and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The NIA had approached a special court here seeking custodial interrogation of the three accused, which was allowed for 10 days by the judge on May 20, with a direction to Tihar jail authorities to hand over their custody to NIA 'after conducting their COVID-19 test and ensuring that it was found negative'.

The NIA took their remand on May 29 after the test result had come negative. The custody ended on Sunday.

The agency said the accused were following the ideology of ISIS and planning for a terror strike in India and also recruiting cadres for ISKP.

"In one audio message Abdul Basith said to Jahanzaib to motivate and prepare some guys who may be used for lone wolf attack and kill the people through a truck or lorry by running them over on people," the Delhi Police had earlier said.

Police said the trio was in contact with Abu Ushman al Kashmiri, who is the head of Indian affairs of ISKP.

Beigh's lawyer advocate M S Khan has filed an application seeking interim bail for two months for her, saying 'Delhi is struggling to cope up with the rising number of coronavirus positive cases" and that there is "lack of proper treatment facilities in government hospitals'.

The COVID-19 tests of accused persons were conducted on June 6 on the directions of the court, while their 10-day custodial interrogation ended on Sunday.