NIA Court Sentences Chota Usman to 7 Years for Conspiracy to Free Bengaluru Blast Accused T. Nasir

Bengaluru, May 2: A special NIA court has sentenced Vikram Kumar alias Chota Usman, the ninth accused (A9) in the case, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for conspiring to illegally free T. Nasir — the mastermind of the Bengaluru serial blasts and a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist — from jail. The accused had confessed his guilt before the court.

Vikram Kumar Who Converted to Islam and Became Chota Usman

Vikram Kumar was originally jailed in the Noor murder case, during which he came into contact with T. Nasir, an accused in the Bengaluru serial blasts. Falling under Nasir's influence, Vikram converted to Islam and changed his name to Chota Usman. Even after his release from jail, he is alleged to have maintained continuous contact with Nasir and members of other terrorist organisations.

How Was the Conspiracy Planned?

The accused had hatched a Bollywood-style plan to free Bengaluru serial blast accused T. Nasir and other terrorists from jail. After his release, and acting on Nasir's instructions, Vikram teamed up with co-accused Junaid Ahmad and Salman Khan and began procuring explosives.

Their primary objective was to attack a police vehicle transporting the terrorists to court hearings or hospital, hurl grenades, kill the escorting officers, and abduct Nasir. Grenades were sourced from Ambala in Haryana for this purpose. NIA investigations further revealed the shocking detail that the gang had also arranged for other deadly weapons and vehicles required to carry out the attack.