In a significant development for India’s counter-terror operations, a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) remanded three suspects—allegedly involved in aiding notorious Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative T. Nasir—to 14 days of judicial custody. The suspects were transferred to Bengaluru’s high-security Parappana Agrahara Central Jail under tight security arrangements.
The three accused—Nagaraj, a psychiatrist employed at the prison; Anees Fatima, mother of suspected terrorist Junaid Ahmed; and Chand Pasha, an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in the Armed Reserve Force—were arrested on July 8 on charges of conspiring with terrorists and facilitating a daring escape plan for T. Nasir, who is already lodged in the same prison.
Sources within the NIA disclosed that the trio had been under intense interrogation for six days, following which they were produced before the special court. During custodial interrogation, investigators claim to have unearthed disturbing details about a sophisticated plot to free T. Nasir and smuggle him out of India.
A plot to smuggle Nasir out in a police uniform
According to NIA sources, the accused were part of a carefully crafted plan to help Nasir escape during one of his routine court hearings. The plan reportedly involved detonating a grenade during his transit from the prison to the court complex, creating enough chaos for him to break free from police custody.
More startlingly, the plan didn’t end with the grenade attack. Nasir was to be disguised in a specially procured police uniform to evade detection. Investigators say that Chand Pasha played a pivotal role in procuring these uniforms. Acting on his instructions, the group purchased at least ten sets of police uniforms from a shop in Shivajinagar, a bustling commercial locality in Bengaluru.
The plan allegedly involved Nasir escaping under the cover of the explosion, travelling first to Kerala, then West Bengal, and finally crossing the border into Bangladesh—a route frequently used by operatives to slip under the radar of Indian agencies.
Misuse of prison access and secret phone supply
Nagaraj, the jail’s psychiatrist, has been accused of abusing his privileged access inside the prison walls. Investigators claim Nagaraj bought at least two mobile phones every week under the name of his alleged mistress, Pavithra, and supplied them to inmates, enabling them to stay in touch with handlers abroad. These phones allegedly helped coordinate the escape plot.
Among the accused, Fatima and Pasha reportedly maintained secret communication with Junaid Ahmed—Fatima’s son—who is believed to be hiding overseas and operating under the influence of T. Nasir’s network. The two are said to have used the encrypted Signal app to bypass standard surveillance, making it harder for authorities to intercept their exchanges.
The NIA has confiscated the suspects’ mobile phones and sent their voice samples for forensic examination to verify the communication trails.
A desperate suicide attempt
Officials revealed that Anees Fatima displayed open defiance during interrogation. In a shocking incident, she attempted suicide by consuming Harpic toilet cleaner inside the prison toilet. She was rushed to a hospital, stabilised, and later sent back to judicial custody under strict monitoring.
More confessional statements on the way
In another related twist, T. Nasir and eight other suspects—who are already facing trial for conspiring to commit terror acts from within prison—have filed applications before the special NIA court, expressing their willingness to record confessional statements. The group includes high-profile suspects such as Syed Suhail, Mohammad Umar Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammad Faisal, Salman Khan, and Vikram Kumar, also known as Chhota Usman, who was previously arrested by the Delhi Special Investigation Team in 2021.
Their applications, submitted voluntarily according to court documents, will be heard on July 16. Legal observers say these confessions, if accepted, could unravel deeper linkages and expose more names involved in the terror network.
Network under scanner
NIA sources claim to have traced crucial mobile call detail records (CDRs) revealing the intricate web of contacts maintained by the three accused. Investigators have mapped who spoke to whom, when, and for how long. This web includes suspected calls between Junaid Ahmed and his mother, Fatima, with the details of these calls allegedly being passed on to Nasir through ASI Chand Pasha.
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