Recaptured after jumping bail, HM terrorist gets 10 years, fined

A court in Moradabad district sentenced Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Ulfat Hussain, alias Mohammad Saiful Islam, to 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of ₹48,000 for his role in planning terrorist attacks in the district.

The sentencing marks the culmination of a two-decade-long case involving the recovery of a massive cache of weapons and explosives intended for attacks on religious sites and crowded public places, said additional district government counsel Suresh Singh on Tuesday.

According to the case details, on July 9, 2002, a police team led by the then Katghar police station in-charge KS Talan, arrested Ulfat Hussain, a resident of Fazalabad in Surankote, Poonch district, Jammu & Kashmir, along with three accomplices: Mohammad Taqi alias Qari Taqi, Mohammad Rizwan and Zafar Alam from Moradabad.

Acting on their confessions, the police recovered a substantial arsenal, including one AK-47 rifle, one AK-56 rifle, two .30 bore pistols, 12 hand grenades, 39 timers, 50 detonators, 37 batteries, 29 kilograms of explosive material, 560 cartridges, and eight magazines.

The group was allegedly planning a major terrorist strike in the Moradabad region, targeting religious sites and public spaces, authorities said. A case was registered against all four suspects, with Mohammad Taqi being sentenced earlier by the court.

However, Ulfat Hussain absconded in 2008 after being released on bail in 2007, evading authorities for over a decade. The court issued multiple warrants for his arrest, including one on January 7, 2015, and another on March 5, 2025. A reward of ₹25,000 was announced by senior superintendent of police (SSP), Satpal Antil, for information leading to his capture.

After years of pursuit, a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Moradabad police led to Ulfat’s arrest in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, on March 8, 2025. He was promptly sent to jail, and the case proceeded in the court of additional district judge Chhaya Sharma.

Representing the prosecution, Suresh Singh argued for a stringent sentence, citing the severity of the planned attacks and the threat posed by the recovered arsenal. “After hearing arguments from both sides, the court convicted Ulfat under the Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act, sentencing him to 10 years of imprisonment, while levying a fine of ₹48,000”.