NIA Court Sentences Two LeT OGWs to 15 Years for Aiding Pakistani Terrorist

New Delhi: The Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi on Friday sentenced two overground workers (OGWs) of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to 15 years’ imprisonment for providing shelter, food, and logistical support to a heavily armed Pakistani terrorist who infiltrated Kashmir in 2016, reads a media statement.

The convicted men, Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazeer Ahmad Peer, residents of Handwara in Kupwara district, were sentenced under Sections 18 and 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act), along with Section 39 of the same Act. The nine-year term under Section 39 will run concurrently with the 15-year sentence. Both were also fined Rs 1,50,000 each.

The case, RC-11/2016/NIA/DLI, the statement reads, forms part of a broader LeT conspiracy. In 2016, Pakistani national Bahadur Ali @ Saifullah infiltrated Kupwara along with other operatives carrying sophisticated arms, explosives, navigation and communication equipment, and night vision devices. The group maintained constant contact with LeT handlers in Pakistan and PoK, planning attacks across Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India, including Delhi.

Security forces arrested Bahadur Ali on 25 July 2016, while two other infiltrators, Abu Saad and Abu Darda, were killed in an encounter. Bahadur Ali was convicted in March 2021 under multiple provisions, including the IPC, UA(P) Act, Explosives Act, Arms Act, and Foreigners Act.

During further investigation, NIA, as per the statement, established that Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazeer Ahmad Peer had provided safe shelter, food, and logistical support to Bahadur Ali, and facilitated his meetings with other LeT operatives in the Valley. The two were arrested in September 2017 and chargesheeted in March 2018.

The conviction in December 2025, followed by Friday’s sentencing, delivers a major setback to the OGW network supporting Pakistani terrorists in Kashmir, further reads the statement.