A Kashmiri youth Bilal Ahmed Kota alias Imran Jalal was sentenced to life Imprisonment on three counts and 10 years jail term on one count by Sessions Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The sessions court judge Kottaraiah M Hiremath prounounced the judgment under Arms Act. Bilal, who was arrested for possessing arms and ammunition including an AK 47 rifle and 300 live rounds, from his Hospet residence in Ballary district during December 2007.
He was also in possession of five hand grenades, 200 live rounds, a satellite phone, mobile phones, and SIM cards which had procured using bogus names. Bilal had been a student at a polytechnic in the mining town before he was arrested.
He was convicted on under Unlawful activities (prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Indian Penal Code and sentence was pronounced on Wednesday.
Five other accused, including three Pakistani nationals, a Jammu & Kashmir resident and a native of Pune, were still at large.
Bilal had opened a handicraft store in Hampi after studying at a Polytechnic here till 1994. The Prosecution had stated that he had underwent arms training in Pakistan during 1995-96 and joined the laskhar-eToiba (leT) in 1999 was connected with many active operators.
Prosecution maintained that He had operated from Islamabad in Pakistan and attended the leT Jihadi training camp at Muzzafarabad. He had been in constant touch with leT operatives and had requested leT to help one of the accused who was arrested in the Delhi Red Fort attack case.eom/blr