Bengaluru, May 2 (IANS) A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has convicted and sentenced another key operative of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in connection with the 2023 Bengaluru prison radicalisation case, said the official statement released on Saturday.
The NIA special court in Bengaluru sentenced Vikram Kumar, alias Chota Usman, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 30,000 under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Explosive Substances Act.
Vikram is the eighth accused in the case to be convicted, which was re-registered by the NIA. Last month, the court had sentenced seven other accused, including the alleged mastermind and LeT operative T Naseer, who is said to have orchestrated the radicalisation conspiracy while lodged as an undertrial prisoner in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in connection with the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts case.
According to the NIA, Vikram Kumar was radicalised and recruited by Naseer along with co-accused Junaid Ahmed while he was in Bengaluru prison. Even after his release, he remained in contact with them.
Investigations revealed that in May 2023, Vikram allegedly collected a consignment of hand grenades and walkie-talkies from a “dead drop” in Ambala, Haryana, and delivered them to a co-accused in Bengaluru.
The NIA further said that Vikram, who was funded by Junaid, was also part of a larger conspiracy to facilitate the escape of T Naseer while he was being transported from prison to court. The plan was allegedly aimed at advancing LeT’s terror activities in India and undermining national security and sovereignty.
The case was initially registered by the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch in July 2023 after the seizure of arms, ammunition, and digital devices from habitual offenders who had allegedly planned a series of terror attacks in the city to further LeT’s agenda.
The NIA later took over the investigation and uncovered a wider conspiracy, including the escape plot.
The agency has filed a chargesheet against 12 accused in the case. One of the accused, Junaid Ahmed, remains at large, and efforts are underway to locate him.
It can be noted that, as of late April 2026, the National Investigation Agency special court in Bengaluru has sentenced seven individuals, including Lashkar-e-Taiba operative T Naseer, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in the 2023 Bengaluru prison radicalisation case.
The plot was hatched inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru, where Naseer, a life convict in the 2008 serial blasts case, radicalised vulnerable inmates to join the banned terror group LeT.
The accused pleaded guilty in July 2025 to charges including recruitment, training, and planning terror activities.
–IANS
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