Wagamon SIMI camp trial over, verdict in May

KOCHI: After a decade-long investigation, trial in the sensational Wagamon SIMI camp case of 2007 came to a close on Wednesday. The trial in the case with 38 accused and 79 witnesses began in 2017. NIA Court judge Kauser Edappagath completed the inal hearing and posted the case on April 23. The court did not set any date for the pronouncement of verdict. According to indications, the court is likely to deliver the verdict before May 15.

According to the NIA charge sheet, 38 persons were involved in organising and participating in the armed training camp held at Thangalpara in Wagamon from December 10 to December 12, 2007. Of the 38 charge sheeted, 35 accused faced trial. Wasiq Billa is the sole accused who is absconding. Mehaboob Malik, the 31st accused, was shot dead while attempting to escape from the Bhopal Central jail.

This was the irst case in the state in which the court used video-conferencing for trial, by connecting the NIA Court here with jails in Bhopal, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmadabad, where the accused were kept. Twenty two persons are lodged at the Ahmadabad prison and 12 suspects are at the Bhopal Central Jail.

Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer, the founder-member of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) and the 35th accused, was arrested by the Delhi Police few months back.

According to NIA, the camp was held in connection with the 2008 Ahmadabad serial blasts. Similar training camps were also held in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The case, registered by the Kerala Police, was later handed over to the NIA.

NIA had iled the irst charge sheet before NIA Special Court, Ernakulam on January 13, 2011 against 30 accused and a supplementary charge sheet was iled subsequently against six accused.

The case was investigated on the basis of complaint that a secret training camp was organised allegedly by SIMI at Thangalpara, Wagamon during December, 2007. It is alleged that in and around November 2007, ofice bearers and functionaries of SIMI, a banned organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, entered into a criminal conspiracy in Choral, Indore, and Madhya Pradesh to conduct training camps for their active cadres.