13/7 investigations find Pune hawala operator-IM link

Yasin Bhatkal

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The name of a Pune hawala operator cropped up during the investigations into the 13/7 triple blasts that killed 27 people, sources in the state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) said. 

    They told TOI that the suspect, identified as Ibrahim, had been sending money to Indian Mujahideen’s suspected co-founder and 13/7 bomb planter, Ahmed Zarar Siddibapa, alias Yasin Bhatkal.
 

    “Bhatkal received Rs 10 lakh through a Delhi-based hawala operator, Kanwarnain Pathreja. This money had come to him from the UAE to execute the bombings. Later, whenever he required money, Ibrahim would send him the amount from Pune. The IM members would also send money to Ibrahim from abroad, who in turn would finance Bhaktal’s alleged activities,” said an ATS source. This revelation has come to light for the first time since Bhatkal’s arrest in August 2013 by Bihar police.
 

    Bhaktal and his associate Asadullah Akhtar, alias Haddi, alias Tabrez—both of whom are in ATS custody—were produced in a court in Arthur Road jail on Tuesday and remanded in police custody till February 28. The duo are facing charges of murder and having links to IM, a banned organization. On July 13, 2011, three blasts —at Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar—had killed 27 and injured 126 others. Till date, seven people have been arrested in this case.
 

    During interrogation, the ATS has also found a place, which Bhatkal allegedly used as hideout.     “There is a room in Pydhonie, known as as Siddibapa Kholi, which Bhatkal used as hideout. While he arranged accommodation for his accomplices and bombers—Tabrez and Pakistani national Waqqas—at Byculla’s Habib Manzil, he would not stay there. He would be shuttling between Mumbai and other cities,” said a source. Siddibapa Kholi is owned by a group of people from Karnataka, providing temporary shelter to those coming from that state to Mumbai seeking job or medical treatment.

The Times of India, February 19, 2014

IM recced eatery where it was named for a blast

The busy fast food outlet outside Andheri station (west) that was targeted

Scared Away By CCTVs & Police Presence 

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The Indian Mujahideen (IM) planned to blow up the eatery in Andheri where its name had been decided in 2008, but was discouraged by the CCTVs and security, said state anti-terrorism squad sleuths.
 

    IM top operative Yasin Bhatkal and his accomplice Asadullah Akhtar alias Tabrez, who were caught in Nepal last year, have been brought to Maharashtra for investigation into their alleged role in the 13/7 blasts at Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and a Dadar bus stand that killed 27.
 

    “During interrogation, Ahmed Zarar Siddibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal told us that he and his accomplices had recced the McDonald’s Andheri outlet twice with a terror attack on their mind because the place is always crowded. Bhatkal had sent a list of ‘possible targets’ to his mentor and wanted accused, Riyaz Bhatkal, for his approval,” said a source in the security establishment.
 

    The fast food outlet outside Andheri station (west) is not just any other eatery for the IM.
 

    Sadique Shaikh, another IM operative in jail for sending terror emails in 2008, had in a confessional statement before the crime branch said the name Indian Mujahideen was decided at a meeting at the McDonald’s outlet where he, Riyaz Bhatkal, Arif Badar (arrested) and Atif Ameen (killed in the 2008 Batla House encounter in Delhi) were present.
 

    It was some time before the July 2008 Gujarat blasts. “Riyaz and the others discussed that they were not getting enough publicity despite triggering blasts and decided their organization needed branding. They first thought of Asaaba and then Al-Furqan. But both names were difficult to understand and, so, they finally zeroed in on Indian Mujahideen,” said a police officer. At the same meeting, they decided to send emails before and after the blasts to claim responsibility.
 

    Before the July 13, 2011, triple blasts, IM operatives visited McDonald’s but decided against an attack. “The most difficult hurdles for them were CCTV cameras, police bandobast outside the station and a place to keep the bomb since citizens were more alert. This forced them to drop the plan,” said the officer.
 

    Bhatkal, in the ATS interrogation, said he and his accomplices Naqui Ahmed, Tabrez and wanted accused Tahseen Akhtar alias Monu surveyed the Colaba market which many foreigners visit, the ATS office at Nagpada, the state transport bus station at Dadar (east), Gol Deol near Nagpada, Mumbadevi temple, the McDonald’s at Andheri, Juhu beach, the police commissioner’s and director general of police’s offices.

The Times of India, February 11, 2014

Charges framed against 23 IM members accused in ’08 blasts

Kenneth Heywood

 

Shibu Thomas and Mateen Hafeez TNN

 

    Five years after 23 alleged members of the Indian Mujahideen were arrested for sending emails before and after bomb blasts in Delhi and Ahmedabad in 2008, a special court on Tuesday framed charges in the cases. The 23 accused, along with five absconding accused, including IM leaders Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, were charged with waging war against the country, involvement in conspiracy to cause blasts in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Surat, being members of a banned organization, carrying out unlawful activities of an organized crime syndicate, hacking into Wi-Fi networks to send terror emails and illegally possessing and hiding arms and explosives.
 

    Special MCOCA judge A L Pansare framed the charges and explained the 29 counts on which the accused were charged. All the accused pleaded not guilty and sought to be tried. The court has scheduled the next date of hearing for pre-trial proceedings on December 23. On that date, the prosecution is likely to furnish the list of witnesses it is planning to call to testify against the 23 accused.
 

    “With the framing of the chargesheet, the investigation in the case is complete and the trial will now commence,” said special public prosecutor Raja Thakre.
 

    The blasts—in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, and in Delhi on September 13, 2008—had left 82 dead and over 300 injured. In Surat, unexploded bombs were found. The emails, purportedly by the Indian Mujahideen owning responsibility for the blasts, were sent from Mumbai. According to the ATS, the accused had hacked into Wi-Fi networks of Khalsa College, Kamran Power Control in Chembur and US citizen Kenneth Heywood in Sanpada to send the terror emails
 

    In a related development, the Bombay high court has asked the state as to whether or not it had initiated any action against police officers in connection with the escape of suspected IM member Afzal Usmani when he was produced in acourt. The high court has given the state two weeks to inform if any case was registered against the cops escorting Usmani from Taloja jail to the special court. Usmani, who had given the cops the slip in September, was caught by the state ATS on October 27, 2013, while he was trying to flee to Nepal. It was Usmani’s arrest in September 2008—he was arrested for stealing cars—which led the police to the 22 others in the case. Usmani had been charged with stealing cars for the terror strikes and sending the terror emails.  

 

EXPLOSIONS’ E-TRAIL LAID BARE STORY BEHIND THE TERROR MAILS EMAIL AFTER DELHI BLASTS
Sep 13, 2008 At 6.15 pm (five blasts)
    Email sent at 6.27 pm on the same day. Sent from Eric House, Chembur, after hacking into the unsecured Wi-Fi network of a private firm, M/s Kamran Power Control
    Mail talks about the country-wide crackdown on IM/Simi members over previous blasts and the alleged oppression of Muslims
 

TOLL 26 dead
100 injured EMAIL BEFORE AHMEDABAD BLASTS July 26, 2008 At 6.45 pm
    Email sent at 6.41 pm on the same day. Sent from Gunina apartments, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai, after hacking the unsecured Wi-Fi network of US national Kenneth Heywood
    The 14-page email warned that revenge for post-Godhra Gujarat riots will take place in 5 minutes. Demanded release of prisoners and asked Muslims to stop acting in Bollywood, among other things
 

TOLL 56 dead scores injured
 

EMAIL AFTER AHMEDABAD BLASTS Sent on August 23, 2008, at 7 pm. Sent from Khalsa College, King’s Circle, after the suspects hacked into the Wi-Fi network of the college’s computer lab
The mail contained photos of the Ahmedabad car-bombs captioned ‘Our favourite toys’ and ‘The cars that devastated’. Contained death threats to officers of Gujarat and Maharashtra ATS (including the then ATS chief Hemant Karkare)
 

THE ACCUSED 21 people were charge-sheeted in the cases in Maharashtra
Of these, five are still wanted:
Riyaz Bhatkal — the suspected co-founder of IM
Iqbal Bhaktal — elder brother of Riyaz
Amri Raza Khan, Abu Rasheed, Akbar Faizi Khalidi alias Yeda
 

THE CHARGES Waging war against the country, creating instability, causing communal disharmony; collecting arms & explosives; hacking into unsecured Wi-Fi Internet networks of Khalsa College, Kamran Power
citizen Kenneth Heywood to send terror emails; transporting vehicles for planting bombs; forging vehicle number plates

MOHAMMED SADIQ SHAIKH A Trombay resident, he was arrested on charges of helping to send the terror emails on the Ahmedabad blasts. He was the most feared person among the accused, after the Bhatkal brothers. Shaikh, who now has a five-year-old son, worked as an electrician in a reputed company. He had said that his group was behind the 11/7 train blasts, not the people currently facing trial. But the ATS gave his group a clean chit in the case

AFZAL USMANI The Govandi resident was a car thief, and was tasked with stealing eight cars from Navi Mumbai. He stole four cars, which were then taken to Surat and Ahmedabad and planted with explosives. He stayed with his wife and the families of his brothers in Govandi. He came to
    Mumbai from Azamgarh (UP) and used to work odd jobs before becoming a fulltime car thief 

 

 

The Times of India, December 11, 2013

‘Usmani planned to smuggle drugs along India-Nepal border’

REVEALED DURING INTERROGATIONS

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Indian Mujahideen’s suspected operative, Afzal Usmani (37), who was caught last week on the Indo-Nepal border, told interrogators that he wanted to get into the drug dealing business from Nepal. Usmani, who had fled from a sessions court in Mumbai on September 20, was caught by the state ATS on October 27 while he was trying to flee into Nepal. 

    The accused is alleged to have participated in over a dozen bomb blast cases. “Usmani told us he had planned to steal cars and sell them in Nepal. He also said that he knew of some drug peddlers and wanted to smuggle narcotics between Indian and Nepalese drug traders since it is a profit-making business,” said a police source. 

    The investigators said Usmani told them that he had already planned on creating secret compartments within the doors of a car to store the narcotics, and intended to peddle at least four to five kg drugs to generate a likely profit of over Rs 5 lakh per trip,” an officer said. Usmani was first caught in 2008 for his alleged role in stealing cars that were used for the Gujarat bomb blasts.
 

    “When Usmani planned his escape to Nepal , he might have been in touch with drug lords. We are now questioning him about their whereabouts as drug money is generally used to finance terror operations,” the source added. 

 

The Times of India, November 4,2013

ATS team gained time as Usmani lost nerve at Indo-Nepal border

Afzal Usmani

He Had Plans For Cross-Nation Business In Stolen Vehicles

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

    Had the state antiterrorism squad (ATS) reached the Indo-Nepal border just 30 minutes late, suspected terror operative Afzal Usmani would have crossed over into the neighbouring country. The alleged Indian Mujahideen member was merely 250 metres away from the entrance point when he ran out of luck.
 

    Afraid that he would be questioned by security personnel at the entrance if he were to approach it alone, Usmani, who was near Rupaidiha rail station in UP’s Bahraich district, started to wait for families and groups of people so that he could mingle with them to avoid being singled out. The ATS team, which had reached the area in the meantime, spotted him with a nervous, impatient look on his face.
 

    “When he saw men in uniform approach him, he surrendered without offering any resistance. He told the policemen he was scared of being killed in an encounter,” said an officer. “Vehicles are not allowed to cross the border at night. That’s why Usmani was waiting for a few more people to arrive so that he could walk the distance along with them, hiding in the crowd.” 

    It is common for security personnel on both sides of the border to question those who approach the entrance alone. Usmani was scared of Nepalese security personnel as well; he thought they could detain him as their Indian counterparts might have alerted them about him. 

    During his interrogation, Usmani said he had planned to start a car business in Nepal. The cars were to be stolen from Mumbai and smuggled into Nepal, said an officer. “He told us that stealing cars in Mumbai was safer than stealing them in UP or Bihar as Mumbai police teams were unlikely to go all the way till the Nepal border just to search for stolen cars.”
 

PROBE PROGRESS
    The ATS on Tuesday summoned a barber from Sion-Dharavi Road who had given Afzal Usmani a haircut and a shave on September 20, the day the alleged IM operative escaped the police at a sessions court in Mumbai. The police recorded his statement
    The ATS recorded the statement of tea stall owner Shaikh Akmal, from whom Usmani had borrowed Rs 600 the same day
    A police team visited Borivli to inquire about Usmani’s bus ticket for Surat

    Usmani was taken to KEM Hospital for a check-up. He was found fit 

 

The Times of India, October 30, 2013

Porous border makes Nepal a choice hideout

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: From terrorists to kidney racketeers, every big criminal’s favourite hideout seems to be Nepal. Suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Afzal Usmani, caught by the state ATS on Sunday, too, was headed for the neighbouring country. 

    “The reason is simple. We have a porous border. No passport or other document is required to travel between India and Nepal through the Bahraich-Nepalgunj route. Dreaded criminals from Bihar and UP keep taking shelter in Nepal,” said a security expert. 

    “Indian and Nepalese merchants, who have good trade relations, travel by road in large numbers. There is little questioning. Going through documents and verification is a long procedure. Even if someone is detained, a bribe is enough to set oneself free,” said a source. “Taking advantage of all this, any criminal can cross over in the guise of a merchant.” 

    Among Indian criminals arrested in Nepal or at the border are: kidney racket kingpin Dr Amit Kumar, alias Santosh Raut, who was nabbed in February 2008; alleged IM co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, alias Ahmed Zarar Siddibapa, who was nabbed on August 28, 2013, and found in the guise of a Unani doctor; suspected LeT bomb maker Abdul Karim, alias Tunda, who was nabbed on August 16.
    Nepal also witnesses battles among Indian gangs. Betting kingpin Mirza Dilshad Baig was killed there in 2004 by a rival gang lord over a monetary dispute that had started on Indian soil. 

 

Yasin Bhatkal Alias Ahmed Zarar Siddibapa. Alleged Indian Mujahideen operative. Arrested at the Indo-Nepal border near Motihari, Bihar, in August. Suspected to be involved in at least 16 bomb blasts across India

Karim Tunda Suspected expert bomb maker of terro outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Accused of masterminding over 40 bombings in India. Arrested in August at the Indo-Nepal border

Dr Amit Kumar Alias Santosh Raut. Kidney racket kingpin. Arrested in Nepal in February 2008 and deported to India. Mahim police, who wanted him in a 2005 case, claimed custody. First arrested by crime branch in 1994 

 

The Times of India, October 30, 2013

Nephew was on cop radar for a year

Police suspect that Usmani radicalised his nephew Javed Khan (head covered)

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Afzal Usmani’s 19-year-old nephew Javed Khan allegedly played a key role in the terror suspect’s escape from Mumbai last month. The teenager, who was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) last week, had been on police radar for nearly a year, officers said.
 

    Javed is the son of Raziya and Noorullah Khan, who reside in Tatera village in Uttar Pradesh. Raziya is Usmani’s eldest sister. Javed came to Mumbai about 10 years ago and took admission in a local school. He stayed here with his maternal aunt and Usmani’s second sister, Safiya Khatoom.
 

    Apolice officer said: “Javed studied up to class XII. He did odd jobs and helped Usmani by meeting his lawyers and bringing him food on court dates.” The regular visits is what sparked police interest in him. “Javed met Usmani in Sabarmati and Taloja jails and in court,” said the officer. Usmani escaped from the Mumbai sessions court in September and was arrested from the Indo-Nepal border on Sunday.
 

    “During initial interrogation, Usmani spoke of his strong ties with Javed. According to Usmani, Javed helped him immensely in arranging money to escape,” said the officer. “Since Usmani had radicalised Javed and wanted to take him to Nepal, we are questioning him. We need to deradicalise him since he is young.”

 

The Times of India, October 29, 2013

IM terrorist who fled from city court held

BACK IN DOCK:
Usmani was on his way to Nepal

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai:Suspected terror operative Afzal Usmani, on the run for over a month after escaping from a Mumbai court, was caught by the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday as he was trying to slip into Nepal. 

    His recapture from the Indo-Nepal border once again puts the spotlight on the area. In recent times, Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and LeT terror mastermind Abdul Karim Tunda have been arrested from there, the latter after he was deported from a Gulf country. 

 
    Usmani, an alleged IM member who is an accused in the 2008 Gujarat blasts, was captured from Rupaidiha rail station in Bahraich district. ATS chief Rakesh Maria said Usmani was “hiding at his sister’s place in Tatera village in Bahraich for the last many days”. He had told his sister that he was out on bail and his sister told fellow villagers that he worked as a salesman in Saudi Arabia.
    The ATS homed in on his hideout after arresting his nephew Javed Khan, 19, last Friday.  

To evade police, Usmani changed appearance, stayed on the move

    Suspected Indian Mujahideen member Afzal Usmani who gave his escorting officer, assistant sub-inspector Sanjay Deshmukh, the slip at a city court in September has been re-arrested in UP.
 

    “Usmani took a cab from Kala Ghoda to Sewri, borrowed Rs 600 from an acquaintance, Shaikh Akmal, and hired another taxi to Azad Nagar slum in Dharavi. His nephew Javed resided in Dharavi with Usmani’s sister and Javed’s maternal aunt Safiya Khatoon. Usmani called Javed from a PCO and asked him to arrange Rs 5,000,” ATS chief Rakesh Maria said.
 

    Around 4pm, the two left for Sion-Dharavi Road together; Usmani got his moustache and beard trimmed by a roadside barber and changed his clothes. The two subsequently travelled to Santa Cruz, then to Borivli, and at 6.30pm left Mumbai for Surat on a luxury bus. Maria said the two kept moving every few days, journeying from Surat to Indore to Bhopal and then to Jabalpur before finally settling down in Tatera (the village of Javed’s mother’s).
 

    Maria said Javed was always under suspicion. “Javed had stayed in touch with Usmani while the latter was in jail the last several years. He came to meet Usmani in court and at Taloja and Sabarmati jails. Also, he mysteriously disappeared the day Usmani fled. On the night of October 25, we received a tip-off that Javed was coming to Kurla LBS Marg, so we laid a trap and nabbed him,” said the ATS head.
 

    Javed’s interrogation revealed that Usmani was living in Tatera and was preparing to leave for Nepal. Javed told the police that he had come to Mumbai to collect his school marksheets and some other documents so that he could join Usmani in Nepal in the first week of November. “We arrested Javed on charges of harbouring Usmani and aiding in his escape,” Maria said.
 

    A police team took a flight to Lucknow early on October 26. But by the time it reached Tatera, Usmani had left. “The team received another tipoff and rushed to Rupaidiha railway station near the Indo-Nepal border. It found Usmani at the station at 3.30am on Sunday. He looked completely different. Our team could identify him only because its members had arrested Usmani in the past and knew him,” said a police officer.
 

    The police said they recovered Nepalese rupees from Usmani. “We also seized a driving licence application submitted by Usmani to the Bahraich RTO on October 24 in the name of Waseem Sattar Khan. He had assumed this fake identity,” the officer said. Usmani had allegedly indoctrinated Javed and asked him to join Indian Mujahideen’s operations in Nepal.
 

    Usmani was produced before a court on Monday and remanded in police custody until November 6. Officers said the barber who trimmed Usmani’s beard will be summoned for the terror suspect’s identification parade and will be made a star witness.

The Times of India, October 29, 2013

Investigators examine jail stay data to trace terror suspect

Afzal Usmani

Afzal Usmani Had Made 36 Calls To His Family & Friends

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Data available about escaped terror suspect Afzal Usmani’s jail stay has revealed that he was escorted to various courts, hospitals and cities 100 times during the 20 months he spent in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja prison. Usmani had, during these visits, made 36 calls to his home and friends, who are all under police supervision now.
 

    Investigators are going through this data to trace Usmani.
 

    A suspected planter in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial explosions, Usmani dodged the police escort on the Mumbai Sessions Court premises on September 20 and escaped. After his escape began a series of inquiries. The state ATS, which has conducted an inquiry into the security lapse and Usmani’s movements during his visits outside jail, found that Usmani was lodged in Taloja prison in January 2012. “From this period till his escape, he was taken to Ahmedabad court, Surat court, Sewree fast-track court, Mumbai’s MCOCA court, JJ Hospital, Nair Hospital, and St. Geroge’s Hospital. There were 100 visits in all. As his family did not stay in Mumbai, he would take permission from court to make phone calls to his relatives,” said an ATS officer.
 

    Records available with ATS and scrutiny of phone numbers which Usmani called revealed that he made calls to his wife, mother, brothers and a few friends. “The court orders clearly said that he should not be given more than five minutes to speak with his relatives from an STD phone booth. The court had also instructed that some cop should monitor Usmani’s conversations. He made the last call to his wife and mother on September 9, eleven days before his escape,” said the officer.
 

    The phone numbers Usmani called are under surveillance. “Usmani has left Maharashtra by now,” said an officer from a security agency.
 

    Senior police officials said that the court should not sanction requests of such suspects for making phone calls. “There are facilities available in Taloja jail for making phone calls to one’s relatives. The phones are taped and an accused is captured on CCTV camera. This method is safer than allowing an accused to use an STD booth,” said the source.

The Times of India, October 16, 2013

Use video-con for terror trials: Usmani report

Afzal Usmani

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has submitted a 15-page report to the state government on the escape of Indian Mujahideen operative Afzal Usmani from the Fort sessions court premises last month.
 

    It recommended that terror suspects should not be brought to the court at all and that their hearings be conducted through video-conferencing. “If required, the accused should be brought to the court handcuffed with court permission,” the report said.
 

    Amitesh Kumar, ATS deputy inspector-general of police, began a probe into how Usmani, a suspect in the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blast case, dodged the police escort team and fled the sessions court premises in Fort on September 20. Two policemen have been suspended for negligence. The report stated that “inadequate staff” was the main reason for such a fiasco besides the cops’ negligence. It recommended that more than one policeman should be deputed to escort such an accused. It further stated that based on a person’s crime and his own previous record, the escort party should decide the number of police personnel to be allotted to escort him/her.
 

    Usmani (37) was arrested by the Mumbai crime branch in September 2008 for stealing cars that were used in Gujarat blasts. On September 20, Usmani and 22 others were taken to the sessions court for framing of charges against them in connection with sending terror email cases.
 

    The inquiry report also recommended the formation of lock-ups in court to keep such terror suspects. The Mumbai crime branch, Colaba police and Navi Mumbai police are still conducting their separate investigations in this case.

The Times of India, October 10, 2013

Usmani escape: Intel agency did not share info on intercepts

JAILBREAK PROBE

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: A week before suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Afzal Usmani dodged the police and fled from a sessions court, an intelligence agency was intercepting phones of suspected persons. 

    Surprisingly, it had at least 13 such intercepts where callers and receivers spoke about IM and SIMI men who were preparing to flee from various jails. However, the agency reportedly did not pass on this information to other agencies since it was working on the case at that time to get more information. Adding to the horror was the escape of six suspected SIMI members from a Khandwa jail on October 1.
 

    Sources in the security agencies say that had the input been shared, the escapes could may have been averted.   Sources said that the intelligence agency, which monitored the suspected phone calls, had got information on the planning of a escape but could not zero in on the prisoners or the jail from where the escape was to occur as the intercepted conversation was coded. Soon after the two escapes, security agencies began talking about the “possible regrouping of terror suspects”. 

    A Maharashtra security officer said, “We are worried about Usmani. He could have left Maharashtra by now and might be waiting for money and instructions from his Pakistan-based friend-cum-mentor, Riyaz Bhatkal of IM.” The Navi Mumbai police are still probing as to who should be blamed for Usmani’s escape.
 

    Security agencies have issued a nationwide alert to jails asking them to increase the security. “We are doing a security audit and making a list of old timers in the jail” said a Maharashtra jail official. 

 

The Times of India, October 7, 2013

Cops: Abu Faisal formed loot wing to fund terror

Abu Faisal

JAILBREAK IN MP

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Abu Faisal (35) alias Doctor, the suspected mastermind of Tuesday’s jailbreak in Madhya Pradesh, had motivated his group members to form a separate wing called ‘M a al-e-G a n e em a t’ within SIMI, a banned outfit, with the aim of looting non-believers to fund their activities, said the police.
    Faisal, who hails from the city, was arrested in June 2011 by the MP police along with his associates.
 

    The term Maal-e-Ganeem a thas a different meaning in Islamic history from the interpretation the terror suspects were giving to it in an attempt to mislead the youth. In the past, seized belongings of enemies defeated in battle would be called Maal-e-Ganeemat, which in most cases would be returned. In some cases, it was used to support poor Muslims.
 

    Faisal had reportedly revealed that Rs 2.5 crore gold looted in Bhopal in August 2010 and five bank robberies across MP were planned to collect funds for terror attacks. 

 
    “In 2009, Faisal’s group entered the Narmada rural bank with firearms and robbed it,” a police officer said. “Later, they targeted banks in Diwas and Itarsi. This group had also robbed 10 kg gold from a gold finance company.” 

    Though Faisal was never involved in any terror activities here in the state, he was in touch with Indian Mujahideen men before his arrest. One of Faisal’s associates, Aqueel Khilji, was shot down in an ATS encounter in March 2012 in Aurangabad and four others were arrested.   Soon after Faisal’s escape, an ATS team was at his Juhu home to question his family, said an ATS source.
 

    “Faisal was part of a criminal conspiracy which was hatched in MP to open fire on BJP leader Pramod Tiwari in 2008,” the insider said. “He was also facing the charge of murder of an MP ATS constable, Sitaram Yadav. He actively participated in organizing terror camps for local youths in Indore, Baroda and Kerala after March 2008.”   Faisal had also admitted to having handed over Rs 4 lakh to a lawyer to defend former SIMI boss, Safdar Nagori.

The Times of India, October 3, 2013

7 SIMI men stab cops, flee MP jail

Anuraag Singh & Mateen Hafeez TNN

 

Indore/Mumbai: Seven hardcore terror suspects belonging to the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) cut through the iron bars of a bathroom window in Khandwa jail and escaped around 3.30am on Tuesday after stabbing two constables and looting rifles and wireless sets.

 

    One of the suspects on the run, Abu Faizal, belongs to Mumbai’s Juhu area. He was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police after the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts.    Another, Aabid Mirza, was nabbed hours later from Sarvodaya Colony in Khandwa, but the other six, including Faizal, are yet to be traced. 

 

 Terror suspects used bedsheets to rappel down prison wall
 

Indore/Mumbai: Madhya Pradesh additional director general (prisons) Muniraju said seven terror suspects belonging to SIMI who escaped a Khandwa jail, used bedsheets to rappel down the wall before escaping on two motorcycles parked in the jail premises — suggesting it was aplanned escape.
 

    They were challenged by two constables whom they stabbed with knives and snatched their rifles, an officer said. The prison doesn’t have perimeter fencing or searchlights. The watch-tower was unmanned. 

    A red-faced MP government suspended prison incharge DSP Sunil Sharma for tardy security and launched amanhunt leading to the capture of Mirza. Apart from Faizal and Mirza, the others have been identified as Amjad, Zakir, Guddu, Aslam and Ejazuddin — all in the age group of 25-35 years.
    “Faizal’s father runs an Alpha Chemist shop in Juhu. Faizal, now 33, was questioned in connection with several bomb blasts that happened in Maharashtra but was never arrested in these cases,” said a source.
 

    Police said Faizal along with veteran SIMI activists, Safdar Nagori and Qayamuddin Kapadia, organised terror training camps at Indore, Kerala and Baroda. “After the 2008 serial bomb blasts, Nagori and Kapadia were arrested and their interrogation led to the arrest of Faizal and others. Faizal was also in close touch with Mira Road’s wanted accused, Abdus Subhan Qureishi alias Tauqeer Bilal. Faizal believed in Nagori’s theory of Maal-e-Ganeemat which says looting from nonbelievers and spending in the name of jihad was a good thing. For this, they robbed three banks in Indore and 10kg gold from a gold financing company,” police said.
 

    The Centre has taken a dim view of the jail-break and sought an explanation from the state government. It also sent a dozen-odd teams to MP to help with the search.
 

THE FUGITIVES The fugitive SIMI operatives were among eight arrested in June, 2011. Led by Abu Fazal alias Doctor, they recced Lucknow, aiming to target the judges and lawyers in Ayodhya case

Abu Fazal alias Doctor (35) Self-styled chief of a SIMI wing and accused in several terror cases, including 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts. Believed to be mastermind of Tuesday’s jailbreak

Mohd. Aslam (26) Accused in seven criminal cases, including the 2009 Khandwa killings

Amjad Ramzan (27) Accused of killing MP-ATS jawan Sitaram Yadav in 2009 in Khandwa district. Involved in 6 other cases

Zakir Hussain alias Sadiq (28) Accused of gunning down MP ATS constable Bharat Singh Raghuvanshi in Ratlam in 2011. accused in a 2009 Khandwa triple murder case

Mehboob alias Guddu (28) Trusted aide of Fazal and accused in Ahmedabad blasts case, besides terror cases in Kerala and MP

Ejazuddin (29) Accused in 5 criminal cases, including the Khandwa case and killing of ATS constable Raghuvanshi

The Times of India, October 2, 2013

Usmani case cop guarded accused in Salem firing

—Mateen Hafeez 

Mumbai: Assistant sub-inspector, Sanjay Deshmukh, whose negligence led to the escape of Indian Mujahideen operative Afzal Usmani was also under the scanner in June this year. On June 27, Deshmukh had escorted gangster Devendra Jagtap alias JD from a city sessions court to Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail. Soon after reaching the jail, JD had opened fire on extradited gangster Abu Salem. 

    While the Colaba and Navi Mumbai police are hunting for Usmani, the Mumbai ATS has also begun a parallel probe into the lapse. “Though there is not a single negative remark on Deshmukh’s service record book till date, it’s true that he was part of the escorting team on June 27 and had escorted JD, minutes before he opened fire on Salem,” said an ATS officer. 

    Deshmukh was summoned by the ATS on Tuesday.  “But we were told that he was not well and was admitted to a hospital,” the source added. 

 

The Times of India, September 26, 2013

Police seek info on Usmani from Bandra eatery he rented in ’07-’08

Afzal Usmani

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: A Bandra eatery has come under the police scanner in connection with the search of fugitive Afzal Usmani. The 37-year-old car thief, a member of Indian Mujahideen (IM), who is also charged with planting bombs in Ahmedabad in 2008, fled from a sessions court in the city on Friday.
 

    “Usmani had taken a seekh-kabab shop on rent during 2007 and 2008. The shop is located outside the Bandra railway station (west). Since he collected some money from a tea stall owner in Sewri after his escape, we have fielded our men outside the Bandra eatery hoping to get some leads from there,” said an ATS officer.
 

    A crime branch team also visited the Bandra eatery and spoke to the employees. Police suspect that since Usmani is an old mate of IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, now in Pakistan, the former may contact him for money and a safe hideout. “Usmani is a professional car thief and knows how to smuggle cars out of Mumbai. We are taking each car and bike theft seriously as he may use his professional skills to flee,” added another officer.
 

    Usmani fled around 1.45pm on Friday. He was brought to the court from Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail along with 22 fellow accused. When assistant sub-inspector Sanjay Deshmukh went upstairs to confirm the court timings, Usmani gave him the slip.
 

    Meanwhile, the city police have passed on information to the Border Security Force (BSF) posted at Sonauli checkpost. The information contains Usmani’s activities, his associates, his crime list, brief profile and photograph. Sonauli, a well known transit point between India and Nepal, is around 90 km from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The nearest railway station from Sonauli is Nautanwa, which is connected with Indian Railways network. “If Usmani wants to flee the country, there are chances he will take this route. This is considered a porous route and most cases of escape are reported from these areas,” said an officer.
 

    Meanwhile, the state DGP’s office has ordered a review of the security of the escorting teams across Maharashtra. “The Navi Mumbai escort teams have faced some allegations in the past. Recently, an escort police team took some accused to Goa. While returning, they had smuggled liquor bottles. Moreover, the recent case of Suresh Bijlani, an accused in the murder of Navi Mumbai builder Sunil Lahoria, using cellphone also highlighted lapses in security,” the source said.

The Times of India, September 24, 2013

IM bomber walked out of court, took taxi to Sewri

Afzal Usmnai

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Closed circuit cameras near the sessions court show Indian Mujahideen operative Afzal Usmani walking out of the court building in south Mumbai on Friday afternoon and taking a taxi after hoodwinking the policemen who had brought him there.
 

    The 37-year-old arrested in 2008 for stealing cars and helping plant bombs in them in Ahmedabad for serial blasts that killed 56 went to Sewri, where he was last seen at an eatery-cum-tea stall opposite Raza Tower. The building is where bombs used in the 11/7 serial train blasts in the city were allegedly manufactured by Usmani’s group.

    Usmani, who knew the stall owner, reportedly took Rs 600 from him and left the place in a hurry. Hours later, Maharashtra ATS sleuths arrived and interrogated the stall owner, who, sources said, “cooperated” with the police.  The red-faced city police have formed more than 110 teams to trace Usmani.  Usmani before his arrest five years ago was a frequent visitor to Sewri.  

 

TERROR ACCUSED STILL ON THE RUN
    Afzal Usmani, 37, accused of stealing cars in Mumbai and helping plant bombs in them for the Ahmedabad serial blasts in 2008 that killed 56
    On Friday, he took a taxi from the sessions court near Hutatma Chowk after walking out of court, show CCTVs He went to Sewri; after that the trail goes cold
Last seen at an eatery near the building where sleuths say bombs for the 11/7 trains bombings in the city were assembled. He took Rs 600 from the owner & disappeared
Usmani was a regular in the area before his arrest 5 yrs ago 

 

 Only 2 of 10 escort cops had guns
    We got a report that Usmani visited a particularplaceataparticular time after his escape. Our men visited the place,” said Amitesh Kumar, additional commissioner of police, ATS. Police remained tightlipped abouttheCCTVfootage. 

    Shockingly,agroupof eight men, including Usmani, who have been accused of being bomb-makers, planters and IM shooters,wasbeingescortedby eight unarmed constables and two women constables with self-loading rifles from Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail to the Esplanade courts. It was sheer negligence by police officers, saidsecurityexperts. 

    “Each constable was guarding an accused. So assistant sub-inspector Sanjay Deshmukh who was guarding Usmani andhisboss,assistantpoliceinspectorRamChopde,havebeen primarily held guilty of negligence and suspended. DCP Vijay Patil of traffic police has beenaskedtoconductapreliminary inquiry and submit a report within a week,” said Fateh SinghPatil,additionalcommissionerof NaviMumbaipolice.
 

    “Police teams visited Taloja prison on Saturday and interviewed IM operatives, especially those in Usmani’s cell. Many suspected IM sympathizers who have not been arrested are under surveillance. Usmani could approach them for money,”said a police officer.     The state police and intelligence agencies are tapping their informers and sharing information with security agencies of other states about possible places Usmani could visit.
 

    Usmani’s brother Faiz died in police custody in 2011 after the crime branch brought him to its Chembur unit for interrogation. His wife, Ruheda, claimed he was tortured to death but an inquiry report showed Faiz died of heart attack. After Usmani’s arrest, his family left Mumbai and returned to their home town in UP.
 

    Photographs of Usmani with beard and without beard, his case details, possible places he can be found at,details of relatives, friends and neighbours, his fingerprints, etc, have been provided to police teams and informants in Aurangabad, Thane,Pune,Vashi,Hyderbad,Karnataka and other neighboring states.His photo shave been put up at public places. “We are searching lodges too,”said a DCP.

The Times of India, September 22, 2013

Familiarity with prisoners prompts police to ease up

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai:Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Afzal Usmani’s escape from sessions court on Friday has made policemen wary. Criminals, especially those who have been in custody for long and have been following a jail-to-court routine, either grow close to their guards or know so much about their activities tha tthey take advantage of the situation. At times, the guards also stop monitoring them closely.
    “Some prisoners behave as if they are the law-abiding citizens and cooperate with the cops at every stage. This develops a kind of relationship between the accused and guards. However, there are some prisoners, like Usmani, whoperhapsplanandthenexecute their steps,” said a senior officer, who has worked with the jail department. 

    There is also the corruptionanglethathelpsprisoners get what they want. For instance, when prisoners are brought to court, their family members come to meet them. The families pay the cops Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 to speak with them,saidasource.

    “As these accused are in jail for years, the police escort team recognize them by names and faces;at times they even share food.Everything is done in good faith. It’s too early to say if Usmani was on good terms with his guard. But how can a policeman trust a blast accused and leave him alone,”asked a senior officer.
 

    There have been cases when escort cops were spotted with inmates at hotels, taking food parcels for them or sending messages to their families. “Such things happen and many senior policemen know about it. But when an inmate escapes or an untoward incident takes place, the cops wake up and initiate inquiries,”said a source. 

 

The Times of India, September 22, 2013

IM serial bomber flees from city sessions court

Afzal Usmani

Had Key Role In 2008 Blasts In Gujarat

 

Rebecca Samervel & Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: In an embarrassing security lapse, an Indian Mujahideen operative accused of involvement in half a dozen bombings across the country escaped from the Mumbai sessions court on Friday. 

    Afzal Usmani (37), along with 22 co-accused, was taken from Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail to the court in south Mumbai for framing of charges in a case linked to the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, which killed 56 people. He is accused of stealing vehicles for the terror strike and sending terror emails before and after it.
 

    While the accused were waiting on the court premises for the hearing to begin, Usmani slipped away and absconded. His escape was realized only later.  The police have suspended two officers who were escorting the accused, instituted a departmental inquiry and launched a massive manhunt. They said nakabandis have been erected around the city, and bus and railway stations are being scoured. 

    “This is a considerable blow,” conceded an officer. “If he is not caught soon, there are chances he will help the Indian Mujahideen again. He is accused of taking part in terror conspiracies in Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Bangalore.”   Usmani was arrested by the Mumbai police’s crime branch in September, 2008, for stealing cars. During interrogation, he allegedly admitted his involvement in the Ahmedabad blasts. His arrest then led the police to 22 other suspects in the case.

    Officers noted that this is the second time Usmani has given them the slip. In 1999, he jumped bail in a theft case and travelled to Pakistan.  On Friday, Usmani and the 22 others were taken to the court in two police vans and produced at 1pm before special MCOCA judge A L Pansare.
 

TERROR CHARGES Accused of sending terror emails before and after the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bombings
Drove stolen cars to Ahmedabad and planted bomb there
Accused in 2007 terror plot in Hyderabad, and in 2008 Surat, Delhi, Jaipur and Bangalore blasts  

 

COPS CAUGHT NAPPING
EARLY BEGINNINGS
    Afzal Mutalib Usmani (37) came to Mumbai from UP two decades ago. He became a petty thief and later joined the dreaded Fazl-ur-Rehman gang as a car stealer. Stole four cars for IM kingpin Riyaz Bhatkal. Was arrested from Nehru Nagar in Kurla in Sept 2008 

 

 HOW HE FLEW THE COOP
    Usmani had been brought to the sessions court from Taloja jail around 1pm along with 22 others for framing of charges in a case related to the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts
    Post lunch, assistant inspector Ram Chopde asked ASI Sanjay Deshmukh, who was minding Usmani, to find out when the hearing would start. By the time Deshmukh returned, Usmani had absconded 

 

 Usmani escaped while escorting cop was away
Mumbai: An error on the part of assistant police inspector Ram Chopde, who was supervising the policemen escorting Afzal Usmani, may have allowed the terror accused to escape.
 

    Chopde sent Usmani’s escort, assistant sub-inspector Sanjay Deshmukh, to the courtroom to find out when the hearing will begin after they were directed by the court to return during the post-lunch session at 2.45pm. Deshmukh left at 2.35pm; by the time he returned, Usmani was gone. Officers said it helped Usmani that the court was teeming with relatives of undertrials. They said there are no CCTV cameras at the premises, or the gates, of the civil and sessions court, which is barely 200 metres away from the state police headquarters.
 

    Usmani’s escape came to light around 2.45pm, when the accused were to be produced before the court. The police escorts realized Usmani was missing and an officer informed the special public prosecutor, Raja Thakre, that there was “a problem with the headcount of the accused”.

    On Thakre’s request, judge Pansare directed the court clerk to take attendance. When accused number one, Usmani, did not respond, his escape was confirmed. Deshmukh was summoned to the witness box and his statement recorded. Hearing the statement, the judge remarked: “This is negligence; this is not right. This will have an impact on other cases.”    The court adjourned the framing of charges until September 27.
 

    “We are recording Deshmukh’s statement and complaint. We will register a case against Usmani at the Colaba police station under IPC section 224 (escaping from custody),” said additional commissioner of police (south region) Krishna Prakash. Additional commissioner of police (Navi Mumbai) Fateh Singh Patil added that Deshmukh and Chopde have been suspended for negligence and a departmental inquiry instituted. Prakash said many teams are tracing Usmani .

 
The Times of India, September 21, 2013

IM operative started out as a car thief

                                                     Afzal Usmani

Mateen Hafeez TNN

    The escape of suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, Afzal Usmani (37), raises serious questions about police negligence and security while ferrying such inmates from jail to court and back. 

    Usmani was the first to spill the beans about the IM’s involvement in the 2008 Gujarat blasts after he was arrested in connection with car thefts. The police said his IM bosses gave him a contract to steal four cars along with Mohammed Khan (32) and Ayyub Shaikh (28), both residents of Khazrana, Indore. 

    Khan befriended Usmani at the Arthur Road jail in 2005, they said. After the IM decided to execute blasts in Gujarat, the cops said, it ordered Usmani to arrange for four vehicles.
    Usmani’s career in crime began as a member of a Mumbai underworld gang, the police said. He was a car thief but in 1996 he was booked for an attempt to murder. His name cropped up during investigations into cases of firing in Mumbai. In 1999, he was released on bail by a court in a theft case but the police said he jumped bail and went to Pakistan, from where he was in touch with his bosses on a fake passport. He had also been part of the dreaded Fazl-ur-Rehaman gang, which earned notoriety for extortion. 

    He met Riyaz Bhatkal in Kurla in 2002 and joined hands with him to strengthen his network. By then, Riyaz was also an extortionist, cops said. Riyaz later graduated and joined the IM.
    Usmani, the police said, planted bombs on a car that exploded in 2008; nearly 56 were killed in the blasts and the police found 26 unexploded bombs. 

    Usmani’s arrest in 2008 led to a breakthrough for the Mumbai crime branch, which claimed it had cracked the IM’s Maharashtra module based on his information. The police said the module, including Usmani, was responsible for planting bombs in Jaunpur, Sankat Mochan, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Faizabad and Ahmedabad.   Officials claimed they recovered a cache of explosives and arms from hideouts in Kurla and Sewri, which were enough to cause mayhem in Mumbai.
 

    Usmani’s brother, Faiz, had died after questioning by police in connection with the 2011 Mumbai blasts. The family alleged that he had been tortured but apost-mortem report stated that he died of a heart attack.
 

GIVING POLICE THE SLIP
Afzal Mutalib Usmani (37) | A native of Uttar Pradesh, he came to Mumbai in the early 1990s to earn a living. Unable to find a job, he turned to a life of crime and became a thief. He was spotted by the Fazl-ur-Rehman gang and entrusted with the task of stealing cars for them. In the early 2000s, he came in contact with Indian Mujahideen co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal
 

ALLEGATIONS He is accused of playing a key role in the 2008 Gujarat serial bombings: he allegedly stole four cars for the attack, drove them to Ahmedabad, and planted a bomb in one of the vehicles. He also sent out terror emails before and after the bombings. Besides this, he is an accused in terror conspiracies in Surat (2008), Delhi (2008), Hyderabad (2007), Jaipur (2008) and Bangalore (2008). He is also charged in over 25 cases of theft
 

 

STATUS OF TRIAL Usmani is facing trial in the special MCOCA court for sending out terror mails related to the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts. He was arrested on September 23, 2008, from Kurla. Six judges hearing the case have been transferred over the years; another reason for the delay was that the accused approached the apex court, challenging the application of MCOCA. The charges were to be framed on Friday, but in the light of Usmani’s escape, the matter has been adjourned for a week
 

BROTHER’S DEATH The crime branch detained Usmani’s elder brother Faiz for questioning after the 2011 Mumbai blasts. Faiz, a 43-year-old grocer from Govandi, threw up while in Chembur crime branch’s custody. He was taken to a nearby hospital and then shifted to Sion Hospital. Faiz died there. His wife Ruheda alleged that Faiz was tortured to death. But a CID report gave cops a clean chit; it said that Faiz died because of high blood pressure
 

PAST CASES APRIL 2012 | Double murder accused Vijay Palande escaped from the crime branch’s grip while being taken to its Andheri unit office. He slipped out of a police jeep when a constable sitting next to him got down  to clear the traffic jam  they were stuck in
2010 | Two highprofile gangsters, Sachin Khambe and Mangesh Narkar, managed to escape after throwing chilli powder at the policemen escorting them in an autorickshaw from Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail to Nashik central prison
2009 | Haneef Kaliya (32) and his brother Majeed (35) were arrested by the Shivaji Nagar police on charges of robbery and taken to Kurla court. Within 10 minutes of reaching the place, Haneef escaped
2000 | Gangster Imran Mehendi, despite being escorted by policemen, jumped from the third floor of Mazgaon court on seeing a biker appear on the road outside and fled. He was caught later

1 Alleged IM operative Afzal Usmani was brought to the sessions court from Taloja jail around 1pm along with 22 others for framing of charges in a case linked to the 2008 Gujarat blasts. The hearing was scheduled post lunch

2 As the break ended, the supervisor of the cops escorting the accused, API Ram Chopde, asked ASI Sanjay Deshmukh, who was minding Usmani, to find when the hearing will start. By the time Deshmukh returned, Usmani had absconded

3 The court hearing began around 3pm. A police officer informed the public prosecutor that ‘the headcount did not tally’. Names of the accused were called out and the first accused, Usmani, found missing

4 The matter was adjourned until September 27 and charges not framed. The police were put on alert around 3.30pm. Nakabandis were set up and teams sent out to search bus and railway stations 

 

The Times of India, September 21, 2013