Convicted terrorist Yasin Bhatkal was presented before a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Mangaluru on Thursday via video conferencing, in relation to a 2008 terror case registered at Ullal Police Station. Bhatkal, a key figure in the banned outfit Indian Mujahideen, is currently serving a life sentence in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
The case dates back to October 4, 2008, when Ullal Police, acting on intelligence from the District Crime Intelligence Bureau (DCIB), arrested seven alleged operatives of the Indian Mujahideen from Mukkacheri and Chembugudde. At that time, six others including Yasin Bhatkal were absconding, accused of plotting coordinated terror attacks across India and possessing explosives and bomb-making components.
In April 2017, the JMFC court sentenced three of the accused — Syed Mohammad Naushad, Ahmed Bava Abubakkar, and Fakir Ahmed — to life imprisonment. Four others were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Because Yasin Bhatkal had been missing during the original trial, charges against him remained untried for years. Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy confirmed that this is the first time Bhatkal has been produced before the court in connection with the Ullal case.
Following successful coordination between Ullal Police and Tihar Jail officials, Bhatkal joined Thursday’s hearing virtually. The court has now scheduled the next hearing for August 20, finally pushing forward proceedings in the long-pending case.