Hyderabad: A local court has sentenced Abdul Aziz, accused of terrorist activities in 2001, to undergo 16 years of imprisonment in a case related to criminal conspiracy and antinational subversive activities in the guise of jihad.
Srinivas Rao, VII additional metropolitan sessions judge, whole pronouncing the order, also imposed a fine of Rs 26,000 on Aziz, and acquitted his associate Abdul Hadi. Another associate, Mohd Nisar, had been convicted earlier.
Aziz was accused of several charges including planning to trigger explosions in Hyderabad during the 2001 Ganesh Chaturthi procession.
A city police official said Aziz had procured firearms and ammunition and explosive substances under the guise of jihad. “Our teams foiled the conspiracy and arrested them and recovered a Belgium-made pistol, five live cartridges, electric detonators, a fake passport and an empty cartridge,” an official said.
“Following his arrest by the police from Lucknow airport in early 2016, a local court in Hyderabad granted Aziz conditional bail. He violated his bail norms and fled to the Gulf, from where Aziz was deported a few years ago and put to trial,” said the police, adding that Mohd Nisar, his other associate in the case, was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment.
A case was registered against Aziz by the Central Crime Station (CCS) of under the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and Passport Act.
