Two get 7 years in jail for JeM recruitment and radicalization

Lucknow: An ATS court in Lucknow on Tuesday sentenced two men to seven years' imprisonment for allegedly radicalising youths in India and recruiting them for the banned terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammad. Special Judge ATS, Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on Shahnawaz Ahmed Teli and Aqib Ahmed Malik. They were convicted under the charges of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).Acting on a tip-off, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-terrorist Squad (UPATS) arrested the two on Feb 22, 2019, from Saharanpur. The police also recovered three pistols, 30 cartridges, magazines and two grenades from their possession. The ATS said the duo was allegedly trying to radicalise young people in India and recruit them for Jaish-e-Mohammad. They were also suspected of gathering equipment and finance for Jaish-e-Mohammad. Shahnawaz hails from Kulgam in Kashmir and was residing in Saharanpur in the guise of a student while Aqib was his aide. ATS officers said the mobile phones recovered from their possession showed 'chats' with controllers of JeM and also 'videos' with "Jihadi" content.The ATS said Shahnawaz was an expert in grenade bomb-making while Aqib was also a technical expert in ammunition. The ATS filed a charge sheet in the case on Aug 18, 2019. The ATS's diligent investigation, solid evidence collection, and effective prosecution led to the conviction in the case.