New Delhi: A Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi on Friday sentenced two overground workers (OGWs) of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to 15 years of imprisonment in connection with a 2016 terror conspiracy case involving a Pakistani terrorist who had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir.
The convicted accused, Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazeer Ahmad Peer, residents of Handwara in Kupwara district, were found guilty of providing shelter, food and logistical support to Pakistani terrorist Bahadur Ali @ Saifullah, who had infiltrated into the Valley along with other terrorists in 2016 with the intention of carrying out major terror strikes.
The court sentenced both accused to 15 years of imprisonment each under Sections 18 and 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and nine years under Section 39 of the same Act. The sentences will run concurrently, amounting to a maximum of 15 years. Each convict has also been fined Rs 50,000 under each section, totalling Rs 1.5 lakh per person.
The case (RC-11/2016/NIA/DLI) pertains to a larger conspiracy by LeT, allegedly backed by the Pakistan Army, under which Bahadur Ali had infiltrated into Kupwara district along with other heavily armed terrorists. The group was equipped with sophisticated arms and ammunition, explosives, navigation and night vision devices, and communication equipment.
According to the NIA, the infiltrating terrorists were in constant touch with their handlers based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, receiving instructions to carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India, including Delhi. Bahadur Ali was arrested on July 25, 2016, while two other terrorists, Abu Saad and Abu Darda, were later killed in an encounter with security forces.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against Bahadur Ali in January 2017. After he pleaded guilty, he was convicted in March 2021 and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment under various provisions of the IPC, UA(P) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Foreigners Act.
During further investigation, the role of Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazeer Ahmad Peer surfaced. The agency found that the duo had not only provided safe shelter and logistical assistance to Bahadur Ali but had also facilitated his meetings with other Pakistani terrorists in the Kashmir Valley.
They were arrested in September 2017 and chargesheeted in March 2018. The Special Court had convicted them on December 18, 2025, and pronounced the sentence on Friday.
The NIA stated that the sentencing marks a significant blow to the OGW network involved in harbouring and assisting Pakistani terrorists operating in Kashmir. (KDC)
