Pakistani terrorist sentenced to 7 years in jail in money laundering case

A Pakistani terrorist belonging to banned terror group Al-Badr, was on Tuesday sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment by a Bengaluru court in a money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

The terrorist has been identified as Mohammed Fahad Hai (35) alias Mohammed Koya alias Neduthani and holds a Master of Science degree in analytical chemistry.

He hails from the port city of Karachi where his family still lives. His mother is a teacher, a senior official said quoting Hai’s statement given to the central probe agency earlier.

This is the first case of conviction and sentencing involving a terrorist under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The probe agency said in a statement that the court of Principal City, Civil and Sessions Judge Basavaraj S Sappannavar “convicted Mohammed Fahad Hai under section 4 of the PMLA and sentenced him to seven years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000”.

An amount of Rs 90,470, in the name of Hai, has also been “confiscated” under the PMLA after it was attached by the ED earlier.

The case dates to 2006 when the Mysore police, based on inputs that Pak-based terrorists were planning a strike in the city, intercepted two persons on a bike on the night of October 26 that year.

The policemen on-duty challenged the duo and sought to frisk them after which the man on the pillion, which was Hai, took out a rifle from a bag and fired at them, the prosecution said.

The police team soon overpowered the duo, the other being Mohammed Ali Hussain, a resident of Pakistan.

“On enquiry it was revealed that they are active members of the banned Al-Badr organisation and had entered India without valid travel documents and were in the possession of an AK-47 rifle, pistol, live bullets, mobile and satellite phones,” the ED said.

The ED subsequently booked a PMLA case against Hai and filed a charge sheet in 2010 after which the case went for trial.

The PMLA was enacted in 2002 and implemented from 2005 to check serious crimes of tax evasion, generation of black money and money laundering.

The first conviction under the PMLA in the country had come in January this year when a Ranchi court convicted former Jharkhand Minister Hari Narayan Rai and sentenced him to seven years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 5 lakh.

In March, a man identified Alauddin was convicted in money laundering case relating to illegal possession of narcotic drugs by a Kolkata court.

The stringent anti-money laundering law allows a maximum of seven years of imprisonment and a fine.

Also read: Enforcement Directorate takes Delhi-based businessman into 6-days custody in PMLA case