Special NIA court in Himachal convicts Bengaluru man for being ISIS member

A 23-year-old man hailing from Bengaluru has been convicted by a special NIA court in Himachal Pradesh for being a member of terror group ISIS and indulging in unlawful activities, the probe agency said today.

The Shimla court held Abid Khan guilty under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the pronouncement of the quantum of punishment will be made on July 21, an NIA official said.

The agency said Khan was found to be a member of a newly- formed organisation called 'Junood-Ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind' which was working to further the ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The ISIS is an international proscribed Jihadi organisation with a motive to establish caliphate by indulging in terrorist activities across various countries of the world including India, the NIA said.

The National Investigation Agency took over the case from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) police in January and later filed a charge sheet against Khan.

It said Khan, a resident of Bengaluru, was found "closely associated" with four other people suspected to be associated with the ISIS, whom the NIA had arrested during its probe.

"He (Khan) got converted to Christianity after the arrest of the four accused persons by the NIA in January last year to evade arrest.

"After obtaining passport in March, 2016 he went to Sri Lanka for about a month. Thereafter, Khan took shelter in a Church at Kullu in Himachal Pradesh," the NIA said.

During this period, it said, Khan remained in contact with his handlers through various social media platforms.