A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bengaluru has convicted Maharashtra resident Hamraz Worshid Shaikh in a terror radicalisation and recruitment case linked to the banned Taliban and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The court sentenced him to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of ₹63,000.
Accused Hamraz Worshid Shaikh of Maharashtra has been convicted & sentenced to 7 years RI, with fine, by NIA spl court in Bengaluru in a 2023 case of radicalisation and recruitment of vulnerable youth to promote Jihadi & terror activities of proscribed Taliban and TTP in India. pic.twitter.com/8cjk3xH1l5
— NIA India (@NIA_India) May 20, 2026
Hamraz pleaded guilty during the trial, which began in April 2026. The case relates to activities involving the spread of Jihadi & terror activities and efforts to recruit vulnerable youth in support of Taliban and TTP-linked objectives in India.
Punishment given by the Court
The NIA Special Court held Hamraz guilty under multiple provisions of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He received seven years’ rigorous imprisonment under IPC Sections 120B and 121A, along with Section 34, and a fine of ₹10,000 for each offence.
He was also awarded three years’ simple imprisonment and a fine of ₹3,000 under Section 153A, read with Section 34 of the IPC.
Under the UAPA, the court sentenced him to seven years of rigorous imprisonment each under Sections 20, 38, 39 and 40, with a fine of ₹10,000 for every offence. The court directed that all major sentences would run together. It also ordered that the period already spent by him in judicial custody would be adjusted against the sentence under Section 428 CrPC.
The court further said the recovered fine amount would be used to cover prosecution expenses and ordered the issuance of a warrant of conviction.
Background of the Case
The NIA registered the case in April 2023, relating to radicalisation and terror activities connected to the Taliban and TTP ideology. In October 2023, the agency filed a chargesheet against Hamraz and co-accused Mohammad Arif, whose trial is continuing.
According to the investigation, Hamraz was radicalised during his stay in Saudi Arabia between 2019 and 2022 through contacts from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The probe also identified an online handler named “Hanzala”, who operated through an Instagram account called “Kashmir Pages”.
After returning to India, Hamraz and Arif worked to identify and influence vulnerable youth and formed a terror group with plans to join the TTP in Afghanistan to wage jihad and war against India.
