Arafath Ali, the third accused in the 2022 Shivamogga ISIS terror conspiracy case, has been sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment by the NIA special court in Bengaluru. The court had previously sentenced two other accused in November 2025 in connection with the same case. Arafath Ali, who fled the country in January 2020 to avoid arrest, was arrested by the NIA in September 2023 upon his return to India.
Investigations revealed that Arafath Ali was an active member of the banned terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) and played a significant role in radicalizing and recruiting vulnerable youth into the Shivamogga ISIS terror module. He was found to have instigated others to inscribe inflammatory graffiti in Mangaluru in support of ISIS and other terror outfits, with the aim of inciting disharmony among different religious communities.
Arafath Ali was also in contact with an online ISIS handler and allegedly served as a funding channel for the Shivamogga terror module, receiving terror funds through cryptocurrency. The case, initially registered by the Karnataka Police in September 2022, saw the NIA taking over the investigation and arresting 10 additional accused, bringing the total number of accused to 12. With this recent conviction, three accused have been sentenced, while the trial for the remaining nine is ongoing.
The Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case, which began in September 2022, involves a group of ISIS-inspired radicals in Karnataka planning terror acts, arson, and radicalization to promote ISIS ideology and wage war against India. The NIA is leading the investigation into this case.
