Terror averted in city in the nick of time

CITY ON ALERT:
(Top left) Policemen on guard at Thakkar Mall in Borivli (West), where the arrested Riyaz Imtiaz worked and which police said was a terror target. (Above) A bag being searched at Thakkar Mall. (Left) Mangaldas Market in Kalbadevi, where the arrested Abdul Latif worked, was also a target.

Arrested Duo Planned To Set Fire At ONGC Headquarters In Bandra By Entering With The Help Of A Staffer, Say Anti-Terror Cops

Mateen Hafeez and S Ahmed Ali | TNN

Aterror strike appears to have been averted in the city in the nick of time. The two terror suspects arrested over the weekend planned to set fire to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) office at Bandra (East) on Monday, according to state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials.

Abdul Latif Rashid alias Guddu, 29, a resident of Haji Chawl, Behrampada, Bandra (East), and Riyaz Ali Imtiaz alias Rehan, 23, a resident of Koyla Bhavan Chawl, Ratan Nagar, Dahisar, planned to enter the ONGC premises, known as Vasudhara Bhavan, with the help of an ONGC Class IV employee, said ATS officials.

When asked how they intended to set fire to the building, the ATS said they were still interrogating the two brothers-inlaw. Sources said they were held while going to a petrol pump to arrange for fuel. The police are issuing a warning to all pumps not to sell loose fuel to any customers, especially those who don’t have vehicles, and to inform the authorities of anyone trying to buy such fuel.

Senior officials were tightlipped about the identity of the ONGC employee, but plan to make him a witness for the prosecution. “The two suspects befriended him and wanted to get some support from him. We are questioning him, but it’s too difficult to say at this stage whether he was part of the conspiracy or unaware of the plot,’’ an ATS officer said.

According to the remand application, attacks were planned on ONGC, Thakkar Mall in Borivli, where Riyaz worked, and Mangaldas Market in Kalbadevi, where Latif worked. Gujarati Chawl, near the Borivli mall, was also targeted. Cops said fire was to be set at these places before the suspects went to Pakistan.

PAKISTAN TRIP
Latif had allegedly asked six men, aside from himself and Riyaz, to apply for passports and go to Pakistan free of cost for terror training. Two of those youths refused to go, saying the plot was anti-national. “One of those two youths told a police informant about the plot and we put all the eight under surveillance,’’ said the officer. Both youths who refused to go to Pakistan have been questioned by the police.

Of the other four, two have been questioned and two cannot be found. While some sources said the four who applied for passports may be arrested soon, other sources said the ATS is looking for as many as 10 associates of the arrested duo.

Police said the arrested duo had befriended an ONGC employee over the period of a month. “The duo wanted to set the ONGC headquarters, Vasudhara Bhavan in Bandra, on fire, and not oil tanks,’’ said a senior ATS officer. No maps, firearms or petrol was recovered from the suspects.

16 PHONE CALLS
Latif was in touch with a certain ‘Chacha’ in Karachi. “Latif’s maternal uncle is an absconding accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts,” said an ATS official. But it is not known conclusively if ‘Chacha’ and Latif’s uncle are the same person. The ATS official said, “Chacha had asked Latif to go to Pakistan and sent Rs 10,000 to help him get a passport through tatkal.”

Latif’s and Riyaz’s passports have been seized by the police. “More than 16 calls were made and received by the duo to a Pakistani number. Their phones will be sent for analyses,’’ said the ATS source. The police are looking for the hawala operator through whom the money was sent to Latif.

“Latif, who loved going to the gym, was also known as a bodybuilder in his locality. He was promised Rs 5 lakh for sending five boys to Pakistan for training,’’ said another officer, adding that Latif ’s basic motive was money. “He never raised any voice for jihad or complained about violence against Muslims. He just wanted to earn quick money,’’ said the ATS source.

Sources said the ATS had also received specific information from the Intelligence Bureau (IB). “As soon as the media flashed the news, some others in the plot got scared, switched their phones off and went underground,’’ said a source.

The ATS has asked the Trombay police to look for two men in the Cheetah Camp area, which is a few kilometres from the sensitive Baba Atomic Research Centre. The ATS has also asked the Gujarat police to look for men missing from villages near Surat and other places in the state.

Mangaldas Market and Thakkar Mall are frequented by Gujarati people. “The accused were planning to carry out a major fire in Thakkar Mall through Gujarati Chawl, which is situated next-door. “During interrogations, they revealed their plan was to pour fuel near the electric box and near the lift to cause a huge fire and panic among the shoppers,’’ said an officer. “The ‘Chahcha’ had assured all financial assistance and shelter in Pakistan, provided they successfully executed the plot,’’ added the officer.

The ONGC headquarters in Bandra (East), where the accused wanted to start a fire on Monday

The Times of India, March 16, 2010