There are discrepancies in suicide note: Priyank

Karnataka information technology and biotechnology minister Priyank Kharge has called for patience as the state awaits the forensic report on an eight-page note of contractor who allegedly died by suicide in Bidar.

- Coovercolly Indresh

BENGALURU: A special NIA court in Bengaluru has sentenced Zahidul Islam, alias Kausar, a Bangladeshi national linked to the Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh India (JMBI), to seven years of rigorous imprisonment. Zahidul was convicted for offences, including conspiracy, fundraising for terrorism, dacoity, and procuring ammunition. The court also imposed a fine of ₹57,000.

"The case, which led to the conviction of 11 accused individuals, was initially registered by the Bengaluru City Police in June 2019 after receiving information from the NIA's Kolkata branch during the investigation of the Burdwan blast case. The NIA subsequently took over the probe," said a senior officer on condition of anonymity.

Zahidul, who had been in Bangladeshi police custody for his involvement in the 2005 serial blasts in Bangladesh, escaped in 2014 along with JMB chief Salahuddin Salehin. He entered India illegally the same year and was implicated in the 2014 Burdwan blast case, police said.

Following the Burdwan blast, Zahidul fled to Bengaluru, where he, along with associates, worked to facilitate anti-India activities. He targeted Muslim youth from West Bengal and Assam, recruiting them to support JMB's operations. Zahidul was also linked to the January 2018 Bodh Gaya blast, which targeted Buddhist pilgrims, he added.