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3 NIA officers removed for ‘blackmailing, seeking bribe’ in case against Hafiz Saeed

The officers have been transferred out of the counter-terrorism agency unit until the matter was ‘thoroughly examined’, the NIA said.

SNS | New Delhi | August 20, 2019 2:42 pm

3 NIA officers removed for ‘blackmailing, seeking bribe’ in case against Hafiz Saeed

National Investigation Agency (NIA). (File Photo: IANS)

Three NIA officers, including a Superintendent of Police, are facing a departmental probe following allegations of blackmailing levelled against them by a Delhi-based businessman.

The businessman has complained that the officers sought Rs 2 crore from him so as not to name him in a terror funding case involving Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the agency said on Tuesday.

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The officers have been transferred out of the counter-terrorism agency unit until the matter was “thoroughly examined”, the NIA said.

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“A complaint of misconduct was received against the officers. An enquiry into the allegations is being conducted by a Deputy Inspector General-level officer. In the meantime, the three officials have been transferred out to ensure a fair probe,” the NIA spokesperson said.

The NIA got the complaint about a month ago regarding the SP and two junior officers who were investigating the Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), run by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.

“We have initiated an enquiry against the officials to maintain a zero-tolerance policy against corruption. Strict action will be taken if they are found to have indulged in corruption,” an NIA officer said.

The SP was earlier the chief investigation officer of the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast while the other two are from the intelligence and operations wings of the NIA, said the official, adding they had carried out searches against a businessman from North Delhi.

The names of the officials and the businessman are being withheld for now.

The NIA last year registered a case against the FIF’s deputy chief Shahid Mahmood and others for hatching a conspiracy around 2012 to create sleeper cells and logistics bases in Delhi and Haryana under the garb of religious work.

After lodging the case, the NIA arrested Mohammad Salman and Mohammad Salim, both residents of Delhi, and later Mohammad Hussain Molani, a resident of Nagaur in Rajasthan.

In July, the NIA secured the deportation of Mohammad Arif Gulambashir Dharampuria, a trader from Valsad in Gujarat, from the United Arab Emirates.

The NIA has filed two chargesheets against the accused including Hafiz Saeed in connection with that case.

In the recent chargesheet filed on July 18, the agency named a 43-year-old person, Molani, for hatching a criminal conspiracy and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

According to the probe agency, Deputy chief of FIF Mahmood tasked his associate Mohammad Kamran, a Pakistani national based in Dubai, for re-routing funds from Pakistan to Dubai and further to India through hawala channels.

“During this preparatory work, the target persons were intended to be used for creating sleeper cells and hideouts,” said the NIA, adding Kamran identified a few Indian nationals in Dubai and one person in India, Mohammad Salman, for this purpose.

Recently, the Parliament had approved a bill to enable the National Investigation Agency to probe terror attacks on Indians and Indian properties abroad.

The latest amendments will enable the NIA to additionally investigate offences related to human trafficking, counterfeit currency, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.

(With agency inputs)

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The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.