NIA court grants default bail to two accused in Vijayawada terror links case

Out of 12 accused involved in the Vijayawada terror links case, two have been released on default bail by the special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to a Hindustan Times report, the release of the two accused took place four days after the special court for NIA cases in Visakhapatnam granted bail.

Advocate Abdus Saleem, representing the accused, stated that Sayyida Begum, a homemaker and resident of Hyderabad, was released from the special women's jail in Rajamahendravaram on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Shadman Dilkash, a resident of Patna, Bihar, and a student preparing for NEET, was released from the same jail on Monday. Both individuals were named as accused in the chargesheet filed by the NIA.

The court, while granting bail, ordered both accused to submit a personal bond of ₹50,000 and provide two sureties. As per the bail conditions, Sayyida Begum is required to report to the NIA office in Hyderabad once a month, while Shadman Dilkash must appear before the NIA office in Patna, Bihar.

According to Advocate Saleem, the NIA court granted default bail to the two on October 6 because the legal investigation period of 180 days had expired and the investigating agency had not filed a chargesheet against them. The defence argued that while the NIA had filed chargesheets against other accused in the case, these two individuals were not included due to a lack of evidence. They contended that since no physical evidence was available to prove the alleged crimes, their detention could not be legally sustained after the prescribed investigation period.

The entire case began on March 24, when the Counter-Intelligence Cell of the Andhra Pradesh Police arrested 12 people linked to 'Al Malik Islamic Youth' through a multi-state operation. These individuals were suspected of having links with banned terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Investigations revealed that Pakistan-based handlers had planned to create a dedicated women's wing called 'Khawateen', allegedly led by Sayyida Begum. The purpose of this wing was to train newly recruited members in the use of sniper rifles, pistols, black powder bombs, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to target non-Muslims and spread terror in India.

According to the police, the accused told investigators that they had long-standing extremist tendencies, but their radicalisation intensified after coming into contact with a foreign handler known as 'Al Hakim Shukur' on social media.

A total of 12 people were arrested in this case, including Mohammad Rahantulla Sharif (A1), Mohammad Danish (A2), and Mirza Sohail Beg (A3) from Vijayawada; Shadman Dilkash (A4) from Bihar; Sayyida Begum (A5) and Sheikh Fayaz Rehman (A6) from Hyderabad; Lucky Ahmed (A7) and Azmanulla Khan (A8) from Delhi; Zeeshan (A9) from Rajasthan; Mir Asif Ali Bankura (A10) from West Bengal; Abdul Salam (A11) from Ballari, Karnataka; and Shahrukh Khan (A12) from Pune.

The case was initially registered at the II Town Police Station in Vijayawada under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and the Information Technology Act. Subsequently, the investigation was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).