LUCKNOW: A special NIA court in Lucknow on Monday slapped life sentence on three accused of the 2008 attack on CRPF campus in Rampur in which seven jawans of the force and a civilian were killed.
The accused identified as Sabauddin, Imran Shahzad and Mohammed Farooq, all belonging to Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, have also been slapped a fine each. The three were arrested in 2008 and AK series rifles, grenades and Pakistani passports were recovered from their possession.
Special judge, NIA/ATS court, VS Tripathi pronounced the sentence in the presence of the three convicts in the court.
The three were already awarded capital punishment by Rampur sessions court in 2019 and have been lodged in jail for the last 15 years.
According to the prosecution, Imran Shahzad is a resident of Bhimhar in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK); Mohammad Farooq is a resident of Kangriwala area in Pakistan’s Gujranwala; while Sabauddin is a resident of Bihar’s Madhubani.
On the intervening night of December 31, 2007 and January 1, 2008, terrorists had attacked the Rampur-based CRPF group centre, in which seven CRPF jawans and one civilian were killed, while some jawans and citizens had sustained serious injuries.
Cases were registered against eight persons under various sections of the IPC, the Arms Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had arrested the three convicted terrorists from Lucknow’s Charbagh area on February 10, 2008. The ATS had received information that the three were coming from Nauchandi Express to Lucknow to meet a man before they planned to leave for Mumbai.
According to special public prosecutor Nagendra Goswami, a police team was constituted for tracing and arresting the terrorists. The police team had collected several leads from different sources about the terrorists involved in the incident.
Sub-inspector Navendu Kumar had lodged the FIR in the incident with Hussainganj police. Later, the probe was transferred to ATS.
The ATS had filed the chargesheet against the three for waging war against the country, collecting arms and ammunition and concealing them for the purpose. The three were booked under various sections of IPC, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and Foreign Act.
