First Convict Sentenced in Bengaluru Al-Hind ISIS Conspiracy Case

A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bengaluru has convicted and sentenced Mohammed Haneef Khan to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹48,000 in the 2020 Al-Hind ISIS terror conspiracy case. According to an NIA press release issued on Tuesday, Haneef is the first accused to be convicted in the case. The agency has so far chargesheeted 20 accused, all of whom have been arrested.

Haneef pleaded guilty during the trial, which commenced in October 2025. The NIA investigation found that Haneef was part of a reconnaissance team that surveyed locations in Chamarajanagar district and Gundlupet to identify secluded forest areas for training camps and hideouts for members of the Al-Hind ISIS module. The conspiracy allegedly aimed to establish an ISIS province in India.

Investigators said the conspiracy was masterminded by the prime accused, Mehaboob Pasha, who allegedly conducted several meetings at his residence in Bengaluru, where plans were hatched to carry out targeted killings to trigger communal violence and further the agenda of the banned terrorist organisation ISIS. The NIA further alleged that Pasha, along with his relatives and co-accused, conspired to procure arms and explosives to advance ISIS activities. During the investigation, the agency found that Pasha had provided Haneef with two pistols and 60 live rounds of ammunition to carry out violent acts.

Haneef also allegedly drove several accused from Bengaluru to West Bengal in a rented car as part of the conspiracy. The case was initially registered by the Karnataka police in Bengaluru on January 10, 2020, before being taken over by the NIA shortly thereafter. The agency said its investigation is continuing, with efforts underway to identify and trace the online handler believed to have orchestrated the formation of the ISIS-inspired module.