Sami and Baig, both in their mid-30s, moved to Delhi from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Sami, with a BTech and MBA, worked for a UK-based firm, while Baig, after her MBA, had worked in banks before taking a break. They rented a flat in Jamia Nagar’s C Block, initially enjoying weekends outdoors. However, the 2019 anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic kept them indoors, where they spent time surfing the internet.
Arrest and Investigation
In the early hours of March 8, 2020, sleuths of the anti-terror unit of Delhi Police arrested Sami and Baig, booking them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. This move shocked their families and marked the beginning of a lengthy legal battle. The couple, also known by their online aliases as Hannabee, Katijah al Kashmiri (Baig), and Xaib, Abu Abdullah, Abu Muhammad-al-Hind (Sami), were accused of being IS members.
Investigations showed they were under surveillance for months, with intercepted communications indicating radicalization efforts and ties to IS operatives.
The police alleged that they operated on instructions from handlers based in Syria and Afghanistan. The case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) 10 days later, and after spending time on remand, the couple was sent to jail in judicial custody.
Four years and a month later, a court pronounced the couple guilty. Sami was sentenced to varying sentences of three to 20 years for attempting to establish a caliphate and plotting 100 blasts in a single day in the city. Baig was awarded two sentences of seven years each, bringing the curtains down on their case.IS Links and Radicalization
The couple was linked to IS’s India-specific operations under Wilayah-al-Hind, contributing to the online magazine Sawt-al-Hind. Influenced by IS commander Huzaifa al Bakistai, the couple radicalized youths and planned violent activities during anti-CAA/NRC protests. They were also in touch with a Pune-based couple with IS leanings, convincing the woman to wear a suicide belt for a mission.
According to a TOI report, “The communications revealed that they were actively radicalising people across India,” disclosed an investigator. “Hina, who had pursued her studies from Pune, and her husband were also in touch with a Pune-based couple. The man was a gym trainer and the woman, Sadia, were already on the radar of agencies for IS leanings. Hina had managed to convince Sadia to wear a suicide belt in an upcoming mission.”
The investigation revealed that the couple was under surveillance for several months before their arrest. In the summer of 2019, sleuths of an intelligence agency intercepted communications through an encrypted chat platform by an account in the name of Hannabee, sparking further inquiry.
The couple was found to be in contact with IS entities, contributing to the online magazine Sawt-al-Hind (Voice of India) under the influence of IS commander Huzaifa al Bakistai. They were also in contact with Abu Usman al Kashmiri from IS-Khorasan Province, preparing radical content and eulogizing militants killed in conflicts.
(With inputs from TOI)