Lucknow: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has raided the residential premises of an absconding accused in the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terror conspiracy case.
On Saturday, police executed the raids. The accused is a local of the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir named Riaz Ahmad.
The NIA has offered a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh for information leading to the capture of Ahmad. The searches at his house led to the seizing of one cell phone, which is currently being examined.
On September 12, 2018, the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) initially registered the case, and on September 24, 2018, the NIA took over the investigation.
This case was registered against Qamar-Uz-Zaman and others for carrying out terror attacks by HM cadres at different places in UP and other parts of India.
On March 11, 2019, the NIA special court in Lucknow filed charges against Zaman and one absconding accused, Osama-bin-Javed, under many provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Osama was killed in an encounter with security forces on September 28, 2019.
Nisar Ahmad Sheikh and Nishad Ahmad Butt, two locals of J&K who were detained on May 29, 2021, had a supplementary charge sheet filed against them on that date.
On November 25, 2022, a second supplementary charge sheet was filed against detained suspect Danish Naseer.
"Investigations revealed that accused Qamar-Uz-Zaman was radicalized by Osama-bin-Javed to join HM and both received nine months' training by HM cadres. Absconding accused Riaz Ahmed, an active militant and district deputy commander of the HM, along with co-accused Mohammad Amin, an active militant and district commander of HM, was involved in recruiting and training accused Zaman and Osama in the forests of Kishtwar district of J&K," said the NIA.
After he finished his training, Zaman was sent to Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and other parts of India to establish bases and hideouts and pick targets for terrorist activity. The NIA claimed that he had travelled to Kanpur in order to scout out a few targets.—Inputs from Agencies