NABBED BEFORE THE BLAST

Trio arrived a couple of days back, scoured the city for terror targets as cops were on their trail

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: The three Kashmiris, suspected to be Lashkar-e-Taiba men, were scouring the city for the last couple of days to look for suitable targets. It was ultimately that — their restless movements from one end of the city to the other — which led to police surveillance and their subsequent arrest on Friday morning.

One of the accused, 50-year-old Ramzan Wahab Qazi, had been to Mumbai earlier on a reconnaissance mission. He was acting as a guide to the two younger operatives: 29-year-old Khursheed Gani Lone and 27-yearold Arshad Gulam Badru Hussain.

“We had intelligence reports that some terrorists from Jammu & Kashmir might be visiting the city to spread terror. Policemen were deployed at all bus depots and railway stations,’’ police commissioner A N Roy said.

Officials said the three men were first spotted at Nasik railway station a couple of days back. They were tailed as they came to CST and then when they went to Mira Road where they stayed with a family.

Officials explained why they tailed the suspects for so long. “We can’t arrest the wrong person. We arrested them when we were sure they had come to Mumbai for spreading terror,’’ one of them said.

“We are questioning a member of that family and are trying to get detailed information about the family’s relation with the three suspects. We are yet to establish a link between them and are trying to find out whether the trio knocked on the doors with some reference or were staying there as paying guests,’’ an anti-terrorist squad (ATS) officer said. The police trailed the three as they moved all over the city; one of the places they visited was Kurla.

On Friday morning, the three took a train from Mira Road and got off at Mumbai Central railway station. They then walked from Mumbai Central to Nagpada. Qazi, in a traditional Pathani suit and a Kashmiri jacket, was seen guiding Lala and Badru, both wearing jeans and shirts. Two teams of ATS men walked along Belasis Road and apprehended the three men near Cafe Sagar, where the latter stopped to probably look for a place where they could keep their travellers’ bags. Mohammad Saleem, one of those who saw officials apprehending the three, said:”Many Kashmiris come to this area, specially on Fridays, and that was why no one noticed them.’’

Cafe Sagar, known for its food, has Nagpada police station on one side; Temkar Street, where Chhota Shakeel was born and grew up and Dawood Ibrahim had an office, is the next lane and Maharashtra’s biggest red-light area, Kamathipura, is a stone’s throw away.

A shoe-shine boy, who saw the operation, said: “It looked like the three were waiting for someone. They were talking to each other and had bags in their hands.’’ Another witness said the three were heard asking about where to get some food.

This is the first time Mumbai Police has invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (Amended)-2004.
Nasik: Police have been trailing the three men from Nasik, where they are spotted on Wednesday.
CST, Mumbai: The men come to CST by train the same day.
Mira Road, Mumbai: The men then go to a Mira Road house, where they stay. Kurla
The men roam the streets of Mumbai over Thursday and Friday, looking for targets. One of the places they visit is Kurla.
Nagpada: On Friday morning, the three take a train from Mira Road and get off at Mumbai Central railway station. They then walk from Mumbai Central to Nagpada. The men stop near Cafe Sagar restaurant, looking for a place to keep their bags. They are arrested as they are looking to split in different directions.

The Times of India January 7, 2006