Hyderabad: One more person Abdul Kareem, 39, who gave Rs 40 lakhs to Abdul Zahed, who is allegedly involved in a terror conspiracy case busted by Hyderabad police in October, was arrested on Thursday.
Kareem is alleged to have given the money to Abdul Zahed to carry out subversive activities.
The case was initially booked by Hyderabad SIT and later taken up by National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) rearrested youngsters for planning terror attacks in Hyderabad last October under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The key player, Abdul Zahed, has been accused of being involved in other terror-related cases in Hyderabad and had recruited several youths namely Mohammad Sameeuddin, Maaz Hasan Farooq, and others on the directions of alleged Pakistan-based handlers belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the NIA had said in its FIR last week.
Zahed was earlier arrested for his alleged involvement in a suicide bomb case in 2005 but was released in 2017 for lack of evidence.
According to the NIA, Zahed conspired with his gang members to carry out terror activities including blasts and lone-wolf attacks in Hyderabad City to create terror based on the instructions of his handlers from Pakistan.
It was also learnt that Zahed had received hand grenades from his handlers from “the neighbouring country” and was planning to hurl them at public gatherings and processions in the city to create communal tension, the NIA added.
The home ministry while directing the NIA to file a case against the accused said the Centre had received information that one person namely, Zahed, conspired with his gang members as per the instructions of “neighbouring country based handlers” to carry out terror activities including blast and lone-wolf attacks in Hyderabad city.
“*An FIR No 204/2022 dated 01.10.2022 was registered at PS Central Crime Station, District Hyderabad, Telangana under sections 18, 18(B) & 20 of UA (P) Act, 1967,” the MHA order said.