Mumbai, Jun 15 (IANS): A Mumbai court on Tuesday sentenced three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists to 10 years rigorous imprisonment in the Nanded LeT module case, officials said on Tuesday.
An NIA spokesperson said that a Special NIA Court here sentenced Mohammad Muzammil to 10 years rigorous imprisonment under the relevant sections of IPC and UA(P)A, and five years under several sections of Arms Act besides slapping a fine of Rs 5,000. The court also sent Mohammad Sadiq and Mohammad Akram to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.
The case was initially registered at by ATS Mumbai on Auguat 31, 2012 under Arms Act relating to the arrest of the accused persons and the subsequent recovery of firearms.
The official said that initial investigation had revealed that the accused were members of the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI).
NIA had taken over the probe on June 24, 2013.
The spokesperson said that the probe has revealed that Akram went to Saudi Arabia under the guise of seeking employment as a driver with the help of wanted acused Mohammed Abdul Majeed, a native of Hyderabad presently settled in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"During his stay in Saudi Arabia, Akram was introduced to various LeT members and operatives, including absconding accused Siddique Bin Usman aka Abu Hanzala, a native of Hyderabad, and Mohamed Shaeed Faisal aka Ustad, a native of Bengaluru," the official said.
He said the probe further revealed that Akram and the other accused persons had held conspiracy meetings in Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia to carry out targeted killings of prominent Hindu leaders, journalists, politicians and police officers in various parts of India.
"Akram was then sent back to India for executing these killings in different cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Nanded, to unleash terror in the society. Akram was assigned the task of identifying the suitable targets for his old associates from Nanded, Muzzamil and Sadiq," the official said.
He further pointed out that they all had travelled to Hyderabad in June 2012 to meet Obaid-Ur-Rehaman, an associate of Akram and one of the charge-sheeted arrested accused, for the identification of suitable targets for carrying out terror acts.