India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended on Wednesday an accused offender who had previously absconded after skipping bail in a high-profile espionage case involving individuals from Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The news first broke on Jurist.org.
The NIA released a statement regarding this arrest: Nuruddin, utilizing the alias Rafi, had a cash reward of Rs. 5 lakhs posted for his capture. He was apprehended in the Rajiv Nagar area of Mysuru, Karnataka by an NIA team. Following his arrest, a house search was conducted, yielding several potentially incriminating materials including a laptop, mobile phones, pen drives, and a drone.
The crux of this case surrounds allegations of a terror conspiracy that implicated Sri Lankan national Muhammed Sakir Hussain, and Amir Zubair Siddique, a Pakistani national employed at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo. Back in 2014, the NIA claimed that Hussain, along with his associates, conspired to execute a terrorist act targeting the US Consulate in Chennai, the Israeli Consulate in Bangalore, and the Electronic City in Bangalore, among other significant targets.
The NIA charged Hussain and his co-conspirators under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) for a criminal conspiracy to cause loss of life, damage public property, create panic among the public, and disrupt peace and harmony in South India. Three of the accused were also charged with conspiring to acquire high-quality counterfeit Indian paper currency and circulate it to undermine India’s monetary stability.
Nuruddin, the alleged offender who had absconded, already had a non-bailable warrant issued against him. He had previously failed to appear before the NIA Special Court in Chennai concerning the 2014 terror conspiracy case. Despite being released on bail under strict conditions in August 2023, the court declared him a proclaimed offender (PO) on May 7, 2024.
Reports suggest Nuruddin was receiving orders from a Pakistani national. With his capture, the trial that had been initially stalled due to Nuruddin’s escape is now set to resume.
The NIA is India’s specialized counter-terrorism law enforcement agency. The Ministry of Home Affairs empowers the NIA to investigate terror-related crimes across Indian states, without needing special permission from the states.