DOWNED SHUTTERS: Naqi Ahmed’s leather-manufacturing unit in Badlupura, Byculla, wore a deserted look on Sunday
Massive Hunt Across 18 States Ends With Arrests Of Two 13/7 Abettors. Teams Fan Out To Nab Mastermind, Bombers
Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali | tnn
All the men accused for the 13/7 blasts have been charged with murder, attempt to murder, and crimes under the Explosives Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The three main accused, Indian Mujahideen founding member Yasin Bhatkal and two unnanmed bomb planters, remain on the run. Due to an alleged turf battle between the Delhi police and Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which the ATS has denied, the three reportedly escaped.
“Accused Naqi Ahmed had come to Mumbai in September-October of 2010 and was in the Mandanpura area,” said ATS chief Rakesh Maria. “He later assisted Bhatkal in doing recces of the targeted sites. Naqi and Nadeem Akhtar are the ones who stole the two scooters in which bombs were planted to go off at Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar. They also stole two motorbikes for future plans. We have recovered those two motorbikes. Moreover, the helmet of the Activa scooter's owner and duplicate keys were recovered from the duo,” said Maria. He added that while one scooter used in the 13/7 blasts was stolen from Khetwadi near CP tank, another was stolen from outside the Hurkisondas Hospital near Charni Road. Police said Bhatkal visited Mumbai in June and July, but later never returned to the Byculla residence of his accomplices.
“Naqi had given SIM cards, obtained on forged documents, to Bhatkal. In turn, Bhatkal had given Rs 1.5 lakh to Naqi to aid and assist the crime,” the ATS chief said. Sources in the ATS said the detonators were purchased from Delhi and the bomb was assembled at Byculla. “The bomb material was brought to Mumbai a few days prior to the blasts,” said a source. Maria said Nadeem was called to Delhi by Bhatkal, where he was given a packet covered in cloth and asked to hand it over to Naqi in Mumbai. The cloth packet allegedly contained the explosives, timers and detonators. Naqi gave this packet to the wanted accused.
“It was Naqi who helped Bhatkal get accommodation in Mumbai. They saw many places. Bhatkal rejected some flats and then agreed on Habib Apartments in Byculla. The deposit and rent were paid to the landlady by Naqi,” said Maria.
According to Maria, Bhatkal first met Naqi in Darbhanga. “There, Bhatkal indoctrinated young boys. Naqi and Bhatkal have been associated since 2008," said Maria. “Naqi first got himself enrolled in a gym near the blast sites and later enrolled a wanted accused in the gym. They chose the gym time of 7pm to 8pm to gauge the crowd on the streets,” Maria said.
Maria said a lead was obtained in this case in the last week of November 2011 and on December 2 an ATS team left for Darbhanga. He also hinted at the involvement of the underworld in Bihar.
PLACES OF INTEREST
HABIB APARTMENTS
The two unnamed bomb planters allegedly stayed at Habib Apartments, near Byculla railway station and down the road from Byculla police station. They reportedly showed the landlady Rubina Qureishi fake PAN cards to seal the deal. Yasin Bhatkal is said to have visited them at the flat. They disappeared in mid-December and never returned for their deposit because the police were closing in on them
ISLAMIA BUILDING
Naqi, Razi and Rafi have a leather shoe-making unit on the ground floor of Islamia Building in Badlupura, Byculla. The unit’s workers had been detained along with the owners on January 8, but they were subsequently released. The police had been camping there till Naqi’s arrest. The unit is being operated by Naqi’s brothers and workers
HURKISONDAS HOSPITAL
The police say that one of the scooters in which a bomb was planted was stolen from near Hurkisondas Hospital, near Charni Road
KHETWADI
One of the scooters in which a bomb was planted was stolen from outside a residence at Khetwadi, near CP Tank. The scooter was in the possession of a businessman’s employee when it was stolen a few hours before the blasts. He registered a case after the blasts
THE PROBE IN NUMBERS
4 police teams hunted through the CCTV images from 187 cameras for 29 days
The investigation was spread across 18 states 150 officers from the Mumbai police, plus others in Delhi, Kolkata and Bihar were involved
12,373 people were questioned and their statements taken
10 lakh was used to fund the Pune German Bakery, Delhi HC and 13/7 blasts
13/7 ARRESTED
NAQI AHMED
Naqi Ahmed Vasi Shaikh, aged 22, is a resident of Deora Bandhauli, in Darbhanga district, Bihar. The businessman has two leather units, one in Delhi and the other in Badlupura, Byculla, Mumbai. He and his brothers Razi and Rafi run a shoe-making business inherited from their father. Naqi, Razi and Rafi were detained on January 8, 2012 in Mumbai and Naqi was booked in a SIM card forgery case. Razi and Rafi were later released. Police allege that Yasin Bhatkal sent explosives for the 13/7 blasts from Delhi to Mumbai, where Naqi received them, and that Naqi stole one of the scooters in which a bomb was planted
NADEEM AKHTAR
Nadeem Akhtar Ashfaque Shaikh, aged 23, is a resident of Antop Hill, Mumbai, but originally hails from Deora Bandhauli, in Darbhanga district, Bihar. He was arrested on January 12 in the same SIM card forgery case Naqi was booked in. Akhtar is alleged to have ferried explosives from Delhi to Mumbai and stole one of the scooters that had a bomb
IN CUSTODY
HAROON NAIK
Haroon Rashid Naik, aged 33, is a resident of Mumbra in Thane, but originally hails from Beed, Maharashtra. Naik ran a cloth business in Kolkata and was arrested in a fake currency case in July 2011. A chargesheet filed by the ATS in November in that case says he travelled to Pakistan for arms training and wanted to avenge atrocities on Muslims across the world, including in Gujarat. The ATS claims the training was arranged and funded by Indian Mujahideen (IM) leader Riyaz Bhatkal. Police have not specified his role in the 13/7 blasts but he is expected to be held in a few days. He has been in Arthur Road jail in connection with the fake currency case
WANTED
YASIN BHATKAL Zarar Ahmed Siddipa aka Shahrukh aka Imran aka Yasin Bhatkal is a 30-year-old founding member of the IM. He hails from Bhatkal town in Karnataka and is
reportedly third in command in the IM. He is said to have masterminded several blasts across the country, including the 2011 Delhi high court blast, the 2010 German Bakery blast in Pune and the 2011 13/7 triple blasts in Mumbai. He is reportedly the chief financer who sent money through hawala for the 13/7 blasts. He visited Mumbai, arranged accommodation for the two other planters and is suspected to have planted the Dadar bomb
UNNAMED
The police have shown the Zaveri Bazar and Opera House bomb planters as unnamed, but sources in the security agencies say they were two Pakistanis named Waqqas and Tabrez. They stayed at Habib Apartments, Byculla, where accommodation was allegedly arranged for them by Bhatkal and Naqi. They were reportedly in possession of fake Indian PAN cards, which they had shown when renting the flat
The Times of India, January 24, 2012
0 comments:
Post a Comment