Indian investigation agency arrests fugitive accused in Hyderabad espionage case – JURIST

India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested an accused criminal who had absconded after failing to get his bail in a spy case involving people from Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The NIA said in its statement announcing the arrest:

Nuruddin (alias) Rafi, who was given a cash reward of Rs. 5 lakhs, was nabbed by an NIA team from Rajiv Nagar area of ​​Mysuru, Karnataka today. Following his arrest, a house search was also carried out and several incriminating materials including mobile phones, laptops, USB sticks, drones, etc. were recovered.

The case concerns an alleged terror conspiracy between Sri Lankan national Muhammed Sakir Hussain and Amir Zubair Siddique, a Pakistani national employed at the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo. In 2014, the NIA said that Muhammed Sakir Hussain and his associates conspired to carry out a terrorist attack at the US Consulate in Chennai, the Israeli Consulate in Bangalore and the Electronic City in Bangalore, among others.

In this case, the NIA charged Hussain and his co-conspirators under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal conspiracy to “cause loss of life and damage to public property”. “Inducing panic among the public and destroying public peace and harmony in South India.” Three of the accused were also charged with conspiracy to procure high-value counterfeit Indian paper money and circulate it with a view to damaging India’s monetary stability.

A non-bailable arrest warrant was earlier issued against Nuruddin, the alleged perpetrator who fled when he failed to appear before the special NIA court in Chennai in connection with the 2014 terror conspiracy case, although he was released on bail in August 2023 under strict conditions imposed by the court declared him a “proclaimed criminal” on May 7, 2024.

According to the NIA, Nuruddin was acting on the orders of a Pakistani national. The trial, which was previously interrupted due to Nuruddin’s escape, is now continuing.

The NIA is a specialized anti-terrorism law enforcement agency in India. A written proclamation from the Interior Department authorizes the agency to investigate terrorist crimes in any state without special federal authorization.