A special court of the National Investigation Agency has handed down seven-year jail terms to seven men, including alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative T Naseer, in a case that exposed how radicalisation and terror plotting were being carried out from inside a Bengaluru prison.
What has unsettled investigators is not just the crime, but the method. Officials say the group was quietly working to influence fellow inmates, turning the prison space into a recruitment ground and building a network aimed at pushing extremist activities beyond its walls.
According to the NIA, the accused had pleaded guilty to charges linked to case RC-28/2023/NIA/DLI. Along with Naseer, those convicted include Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Suhail Khan, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Umar, and Salman Khan. Each of them has also been fined Rs 48,000 under provisions of the IPC, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and Explosives Substances Act.
Plot hatched inside Bengaluru central prison
Investigators said the conspiracy was orchestrated within the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru, where Naseer was lodged. The plan allegedly involved identifying vulnerable inmates, radicalising them and preparing them for terror-related operations in India, furthering the agenda of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The case was first registered by the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch in July 2023 after arms, ammunition and digital devices were seized from individuals suspected of planning attacks in the city. The probe was later handed over to the NIA after indications of a wider conspiracy emerged.
Escape plan and wider network uncovered
During the investigation, the agency uncovered a parallel plan to facilitate Naseer’s escape while he was being escorted from prison to court. Naseer, a life convict in multiple terror cases, was also an undertrial in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blast case at the time.
The NIA subsequently filed a chargesheet against 11 accused and one absconding suspect, identified as Junaid Ahmed. Efforts are ongoing to trace and arrest him.
In a significant development, one of the convicts, Salman Khan, was brought back to India after being extradited from the Republic of Rwanda through coordinated action between Indian and Rwandan authorities.
Concerns over prison radicalisation flagged earlier
Officials indicated that the methods used in the case resembled earlier instances of extremist networking inside prisons, particularly in sensitive regions like Jammu and Kashmir.
The issue of inmate radicalisation had also been highlighted by the Union Home Ministry in January 2023, which advised prison authorities across states to conduct de-radicalisation programmes and segregate inmates showing tendencies to influence others.
“The jail administration has to ensure that inmates inclined towards propagating the ideology of radicalisation and those who have the propensity and potential to negatively influence other inmates are housed in separate enclosures away from other inmates,” a letter by Deputy Secretary Arun Sobti had read.