Bengaluru, April 21 (IANS) A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bengaluru, on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced a third accused in the 2022 Shivamogga ISIS terror conspiracy case, marking a significant development in the ongoing probe.

The accused, Arafath Ali, has been sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) by the NIA special court.

Earlier, in November 2025, the court had similarly sentenced two other accused to six years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with the same case.

According to the official statement by the NIA, Arafath Ali had fled the country in January 2020 to evade arrest due to apprehensions linked to a separate terror module. He was later arrested by the agency upon his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi in September 2023.

Investigations revealed that Arafath Ali was an active member of the banned terrorist organisation Islamic State (ISIS). He was involved in a criminal conspiracy aimed at propagating the group’s violent extremist ideology on Indian soil.

The NIA found that he played a key role in radicalising and recruiting vulnerable youth into the Shivamogga ISIS terror module.

Further probe indicated that the accused had instigated and motivated other co-accused to inscribe inflammatory graffiti in Mangaluru in support of ISIS and other terror outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The conspiracy was aimed at inciting enmity and disharmony among different religious communities and spreading violent unrest in society.

The NIA also found that Arafath Ali was in contact with an online ISIS handler and had functioned as a funding channel for the Shivamogga terror module. He allegedly received terror funds through cryptocurrency and distributed them among his co-accused.

The case was initially registered by the Karnataka Police in September 2022. Following the takeover of the investigation by the NIA, 10 additional accused were arrested, taking the total number of accused to 12. Charges were subsequently filed against all of them.

With the latest conviction, three accused have now been sentenced in the case, while the trial against the remaining nine accused is currently underway.

It may be noted that the Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case, initiated in September 2022, revolves around a module of Islamic State (ISIS) inspired radicals based in Karnataka, who aimed to carry out terror acts, arson, and radicalisation to propagate ISIS ideology and wage a war against India. The investigation is led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The case was initially registered by the Karnataka Police after a stabbing incident and subsequent investigation into extremist activities in Shivamogga on August 15, 2022.

–IANS

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