The special NIA court in Poonamallee has issued a proclamation summoning a Pakistani official working at the country’s high commission in Sri Lanka to appear before it on October 15. The official, Amir Zubair Siddiqui, is charged with conspiring to bomb the American consulate in Chennai and the Israeli consulate in Bengaluru.
Siddiqui, a visa counsellor in Colombo with a permanent address in Karachi, Pakistan, faces charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for offences including criminal conspiracy, waging war against India, and using forged or counterfeit currency. The court noted that he is currently absconding.
The case, originally registered by the Q branch CID in Chennai in April 2014, was later taken up by the Hyderabad branch of the NIA. It began following the arrest of a Sri Lankan national, Mohammed Sakir Hussain, who had entered India under Siddiqui’s instructions to carry out subversive activities.
Investigators also seized counterfeit Indian currency worth ₹2.5 lakh from Mohammed Saleem, another accused, in May 2014. While Sakir Hussain has already been convicted, the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet against Siddiqui in 2018.
