Charge sheet filed against five from banned terror outfit

THEY WERE ILLEGALLY STAYING IN INDIA AND WORKING AT BUILDING SITES IN PUNE

MUMBAI:THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet before the special NIA court in Mumbai against five Bangladeshi nationals, who were arrested by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) from Pune for being part of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a terrorist outfit, on Friday.

In an operation in March this year, the Maharashtra ATS had arrested five Bangladeshi nationals – Mohammed Habibur Rahman Habib alias Raj Jesub Mandal, Ripen Hossain alias Rubel, Hannan Anwar Khan alias Hannan Baburli Gazi, Mohammed Hassan alias Mohammed Amir Ali and Azar Ali Subhanalla Islam alias Raja Jesub Mandal.

The charge sheet has been filed under sections 120B & 471 of the Indian Penal Code, sections 17, 19 & 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

They were arrested for aiding and harbouring members of ABT in Pune. Subsequently, the investigation was transferred to NIA, which revealed that all five accused were illegally staying in India and working at construction sites in Pune.

They had fraudulently obtained Indian PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, and other documents. They had also used the Aadhaar and PAN card for procuring Indian SIM cards, opening bank accounts and seeking employment.

The investigation revealed that in 2017 they had provided shelter and money to Tushar Bishwas, a member of ABT.