Overview
- A Special Court of the National Investigation Agency convicted Mohammed Haneef Khan on Tuesday and sentenced him to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and a ₹48,000 fine after he pleaded guilty during a trial that began in October 2025.
- The NIA says Khan was part of a reconnaissance team that surveyed Shivanasamudra and Gundlupet to find secluded forest sites for training camps and hideouts linked to an Al‑Hind module inspired by ISIS.
- Investigators allege the conspiracy was led by prime accused Mehaboob Pasha, who held planning meetings in Bengaluru, supplied two pistols and 60 live rounds to Khan, and plotted targeted killings to trigger communal violence.
- The agency has filed chargesheets against 20 people, all arrested, and says its probe remains active as teams work to identify and trace an online handler believed to have directed the module.
- The case began with a Karnataka police complaint on January 10, 2020, was taken over by the NIA days later, and the conviction marks the first court finding while wider trials and searches for remaining links continue.