’06 train blasts: IM man sings, ATS red-faced

Under scannner: Indian Mujahideen suspected member, Sadiq Shaikh

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: Indian Mujahideen’s (IM) top operative Sadiq Sheikh’s confession on his alleged role in the July 11, 2006 serial Mumbai train blasts has come as a huge embarrassment for the state anti-terrorism squad (ATS). Two years ago, the ATS had chargesheeted 13 persons, but Sadiq and other members of the IM module were not named as conspirators.

On Friday, after a news channel aired the videotapes of Sadiq’s confession in which he says that he and his associates had purchased pressure cookers, placed bombs in them and planted them in trains, the ATS was at pains to rubbish it, saying Sadiq was trying to mislead investigators. “Our teams are questioning him and we cannot reveal information at this juncture,’’said acting ATS chief, additional director-general of police K P Raghuvanshi. It was Raghuvanshi who had headed the 11/7 investigation as ATS chief.He had then claimed that the blasts were carried out by Simi activists and Pakistanis.

Sadiq first admitted his role in 11/7 in September last year after he and 20 others were arrested by the Mumbai crime branch which was investigating the cars stolen from Navi Mumbai and used in the 2008 blasts in Ahmedabad and the planting of bombs in Surat. DGP A N Roy had then said that Sadiq’s claims were an Al Qaida ploy to mislead investigators. TOI had reported these developments extensively in its edition of October 15, 2008.

We planted bombs in seven pressure cookers: Sadiq
Mumbai: In the confession which has come to light now, Indian Mujahideen’s top operative Sadiq Sheikh, an electronics engineer, said he along with his accomplices engineered the train bombings (which killed 188) on the instructions of his mentors, Riyaz Bhatkal and Amir Raza, both of whom are wanted.

In his statement before the police, Sadiq said that they had manufactured the bombs at a flat in Sewri in central Mumbai which was taken on rent by Abu Rashid, a wanted accused. However, the ATS said the bombs were manufactured in a 100 sq ft room in Govandi
and that some Pakistanis were also present there.

“All five of us arrranged local first class train passes beforehand. We had the local train timetable with us, so that we could choose a train as per our convenience. We purchased bags and pressure cookers in Bombay,’’ Sadiq told the police, adding, “On July 11, 2006, all five of us assembled the bombs and filled the cookers with explosives. We kept the bombs ready. We had planned that the bombs go off at 6:30 pm, so we had activated the timer at 2 pm. We planned to move one by one with the bags containing the bombs.’’

The crime branch in its chargesheet against the IM module had mentioned that Sadiq was allegedly involved in several blasts cases across the country since 2005, including in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Varanasi. Soon after, the ATS which had earlier rubbished the IM claims of carrying out the train attacks, sought custody of Sadiq. Sadiq has been in ATS custody since February 21.

“The SIMI boys were led by Lashkar-e-Taiba’s western India commander Faisal Shaikh, who had arranged Rs 20 lakh through hawala to execute the terror operation,’’ the ATS had said in its 12,000-page chargesheet filed in December 2006. Faisal, now behind bars, had lived most of his life on Temkar Street in Nagpada in Mumbai, where underworld don Dawood Ibrahim had residedalong with his family before fleeing the country. A N Roy, who was then Mumbai police commissioner, had announced at a press conference held after the “detection’’ of the blasts case that the Simi members had also arranged for the Pakistani suspects’ accommodation in Mumbai and neighbouring areas.

Sadiq, in his statement, had also revealed the involvement of Atif Amin and Mohammed Saji who were killed in the Batla House encounter in Delhi last year. “Abu Rashid and Sajid then joined me in keeping their bags in the other trains. Rashid travelled till Dadar in the same train and then left for Sewri. After a while, through the general public, we were informed of the blasts in the local train,’’ he said.

According to the Mumbai crime branch, Sadiq had been to a “hostile country’’ on two occasions—once for nine months and again for 45 days—where he had acquired terrorrelated training. His family lives in the Cheetah Camp locality of Trombay and comprises his wife, three daughters, an elder brother and a few others.

But his family said it had been living in the same locality for 40 years and it was surprising that the cops were claiming that Sadiq had stayed there for only a few months prior to his arrest as a Pakistani.

THE DELHI 3
About the Delhi blasts, Sadiq said, “Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj, Govindpuri were targets for the blasts. We used to stay in a hotel in Jasola. Other than that, Atif, Shadab, Aariz, Shakeel and Sakib were involved in the group. I used to accompany them for making bombs. I and Atif were now trained in making bombs. I left for my place before the Delhi blasts. I got the news of the blasts the next day.’’ TNN

The Times of India, Feb 28, 2009