Cons evade cops with net savvy

6 Pakistanis held in Spain for 26/11 links

TERROR WEB

Two Others Arrested In Thailand

Ashish Ray, Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali TNN

London/Mumbai: An international anti-terror operation netted seven people in Spain and three in Thailand between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. They allegedly worked with terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in staging the 26/ 11 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166.

The Mumbai police crime branch said it was yet to receive any official word on the arrests but sources said that New Delhi had been kept posted. Officers in Mumbai, though, clarified that those arrested could have helped the 26/11 terrorists procure fake ID cards of colleges in Bangalore and Hyderabad and picked up the tab for internet phone connections.

In an email to TOI in London, the Spanish interior ministry said eight of the 10 arrested were Pakistanis. They formed part of a group based in Thailand and linked to LeT. The Spanish interior ministry said the group stole passports—mostly from tourists in Barcelona—and sent those to Bangkok to be doctored and later distributed.

The email added that the passports allowed members of terror outfits enter European and other countries. The two Pakistanis and the Thais based in Bangkok were the lynchpins of the illegal activity. Mumbai police sources said they were not sure if the group had paid for the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connections used by the 26/11 terrorists and their Pakistani handlers. The Pakistanis held in Spain were identified as Junaid Humayun, Atiqur Rehman, Jabran Asghar, Malik Iftikhar Ahmad, Mohd Saddique Begum and Tanveer Arshad. They are believed to have links with LeT and al-Qaida.

Hearing a PIL related to ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s death during 26/11, the Bombay HC on Wednesday sought answers to five questions from the Union and state govts:

Were IB inputs about a suspected terror attack just days before 26/11 forwarded to the state government and the police?

What was the result of the probe into the SIM cards found at CST and traced to Satara?

Was there a terrorist who spoke in Marathi?

Were the CCTV cameras at CST working? Did IB refuse to part with information sought by the Pradhan committee? 26/11 TWO YEARS ON Suspects helped 26/11 gunmen sneak into city

The ones picked up in Thailand were identified as Muhammad Athar Butt and Zeeshan Ehsan Butt. The other individual picked up in Barcelona was a Nigerian—Babatunde Agunbiade—while the Thai national now behind bars in Bangkok is Sirikanlaya Kijbumrung.

Anti-terror officers of the Spanish police acted on a tipoff and swooped on the suspects in and round Barcelona. They seized passports ready to be sent to Thailand and recovered computer and mobile telephone equipment.

Preliminary reports said the arrested men had helped the 26/11 attackers sneak into Mumbai through the sea route. “They were part of the LeT's Thailand module,” a Mumbai police officer said.

The Spanish police are still in the early stages of their investigations and security agencies in India said they'd need to wait for more details.

Investigators in Mumbai believe that these arrests would help them piece together the jigsaw of fake ID cards recovered from the slain terrorists. So far investigators have remained clueless on how they sourced these.

Sources close to the investigation said LeT had taken utmost care to outsource aspects of the 26/11 operation. Documents were forged in Spain. Accounts were opened in New Jersey for VoIP phones and payments made from somewhere else. “The planners realised that outsourcing critical components of the operation would help ensure foolproof operations and the footprints would be way to difficult to trace,” a Mumbai police officer said.

During the 58-hour siege of Mumbai, 284 calls running into 995 minutes, were made by the terrorists using mobile phones from the Taj Mahal Hotel, Oberoi-Trident and Nariman House to their handlers in Pakistan.

These calls made over VoIP---a cheap way of making international calls. These were traced to an IP address created with Callphonex, a VoIP service provider based in New Jersey, US.

Payments for these calls were made by opening an account in the name of one Kharak Singh from India. In reality, payments were made on two occasions by wire transfer by Pakistani nationals Javed Iqbal and Mohammed Ishtiaq.

A Pakistani suspect is arrested in Barcelona. He and 9 others were held for aiding terror groups like LeT


The Times of India, December 1, 2010

Police acted against rapist tantrik three years too late

Mehdi Hasan

FRAUD MAN

Father Of Two Girls Filed Complaint Against Mehdi Hasan In Commissioner’s Office In ’07

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: If only the police commissioner had taken note of a complaint against selfstyled tantrik Mehdi Hasan three years ago, the ordeal of the seven girls he raped for four years could have been mitigated.

TOI has a copy of the complaint submitted to the commissioner’s office by two of the victims’ father. Dated July 31, 2007, it mentions Hasan’s harassment of and threats to the duo’s family.

The JJ Marg police arrested Hasan, alias Zainul Abedin Shaikh, alias Javed Nadim Khadim, aka Bengali Baba, on Sunday on charges of rape and causing miscarriage.

The complaint was also submitted to the additional commissioner of the special branch (responsible for gathering intelligence) and the Byculla police. But none took action against Hasan. It is only now that police commissioner Sanjeev Dayal has said that he would check with his office about the complaint.

Sources close to the duo’s family said that Hasan had introduced himself as Khadim. The complainant, who was divorced, wrote that after he separated with his wife, Hasan manipulated her with black magic to buy a flat in his name. “The flat (is) located at Yusuf Chambers, opposite Gloria Church, Byculla… the money, Rs 40 lakh, was paid by my exwife. The tantrik is using the flat for black magic,” the complainant wrote. He also informed the police that Hasan would beat up his (the complainant’s) ex-wife and children. “I am worried about my daughters (then 16 and 13). He can outrage their modesty.”

Hasan has been remanded in police custody till December 3. His victims include five minors. One of the victims, now 22, is a maid servant. The other six are pairs of sisters, who are also cousins; the youngest of them is 13.

When the police raided Hasan’s rented room in Kalyan on Monday, they recovered cash and ornaments worth Rs 1 crore.

The first step in Hasan’s strategy was to befriend the victims’ mothers. When one of the women told him about her mentally challenged sons, he said a cure was necessary, or else her daughters too might deliver disabled children after marriage. He promised to “cure” the girls through black magic, but began raping them.

“When his victims became pregnant, he recommended abortion, saying if they bear children outside marriage, no man would ever marry them,” said a source.

The complainant has several businesses, including a travel agency. His daughters are 19 (a commerce student at a reputed college in south Mumbai) and 16. Two victims are from Colaba (their father is a doctor). One is 18 (an MBBS student) and the other 17. The remaining pair of sisters are 16 and 13. Their father is a captain in the merchant navy. Hasan forced four of the girls to go for abortion, one of whom had to undergo the procedure thrice.

Dad of two victims urges CM Chavan to transfer rape case to fast track court
Mumbai: The father of two of the six girls raped by tantrik Mehdi Hasan, alias Zainul Abedin Shaikh, has submitted an application to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s office requesting him to try the man in a fast track court. The case is at present with the crime branch of the police.

The applicant, whose identity has been protected, said in the application that his daughters, along with four of their cousins and a maid servant, were raped by Hasan. “The case is sensitive and has brought shame to the entire society. So, we request you to try the case in a fast track court,” the applicant has said.

He alleged that Hasan had cheated his family of Rs 2 crore. He pointed to the fact that the tantrik is from Bangladesh, and if released on bail, he may flee to his country and may never be tried in an Indian court. “So, please ask the police to file the chargesheet at the earliest so that the trial can begin soon.” The father met joint commissioner of police (law and order) Rajnish Seth on Tuesday regarding the case. TNN

Dongri hospital under police scanner for carrying out abortions on victims
Mumbai:The police team investigating tantrik Mehdi Hasan’s case is inquiring into the role of a hospital in Dongri believed to have carried out abortions on four girls at the man’s behest. Sources said the police have called for the hospital’s logbook to learn about who brought the girls to the hospital and whether the abortions were carried out in accordance with the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. The sources said the hospital is run by a trust, which has political connections.

“The accused is misleading us by giving different versions about where he got the abortions done. We are taking the victims to the hospitals (mentioned by Hasan) to find out which is the one that carried out the procedure,” said investigating officer Santosh Bagwe. “Our investigations are still on, but if it is confirmed (that the Dongri hospital played culprit), we will book the hospital management and the doctors who carried out the abortions under the IPC’s section 304-A (culpable homicide not amounting to murder),” said a senior police officer. TNN

SUM OF EVIL: The cash found by the police in the tantrik’s room


The Times of India, December 1, 2010

Cops recover cash, gold worth . 1 crore from rapist tantrik

Cops on Tuesday raided tantrik Mehdi Hasan’s house at Chaudhary Mohall in Kalyan.

Mothers of two victims paid the rent of his 2 flats

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The city police have recovered gold ornaments and cash collectively valued at Rs 1.01 crore from the rapist tantrick, Mehdi Hasan, accused of raping seven girls and forcing five of them to undergo abortions. He began raping the victims, saying it was a cure for producing mentally and physically healthy children.

Hasan, who originally belongs to Kolkata, was arrested on Saturday by the JJ Marg police. According to the police, Hasan had raped seven girls, including a maid servant. The six others were cousins. While his eldest victim was a 22-year-old, the youngest was just 13. He befriended the victims’ family on the pretext of curing the mentally challenged sons in the family. He will be in police custody till December 3.

Chhering Dorje, DCP, while briefing the media personnel, said, “We have raided a house at Chaudhary Mohall in Kalayan (W) where Hasan was staying on rent. The police have seized gold ornaments worth around Rs 14 lakh and cash over Rs 87 lakh. The total seizure goes up to Rs 1.01 crore. The currency notes and the ornaments were hidden in a small wooden cupboard,” said Dorje. He added that Hasan came in contact with the victims’ family in 1999 when he would teach Arabic and Urdu to the victims. “Gradually, he had almost become a part of the family,” said a police officer.

When the victims’ mother told the tantrik about their mentally challenged sons, he said cure was a must, otherwise the girls may also deliver such children after marriage. He had promised to cure them by his black magic and began raping the girls. “When the victims got pregnant, he recommended abortion, saying if they don’t do that, no man will marry them,” said a source. The 19-year-old victim is a commerce student in a reputed south Mumbai college. Another victim, aged 18, is from Colaba and an MBBS student. The youngest victim, a Std V student, is only 13 years old and a resident of JJ Marg. Four victims were forced to undergo abortion and one of them, an 18-year-old, was subjected to abortion thrice. One of the victims’ father is a captain in the merchant navy, while another’s is a doctor. Hasan has been booked for rape and causing miscarriage. Hasan has earlier also been arrested in another criminal case.

“Now he is repenting his crime. He said God will never forgive him. When we questioned him about the source of the huge money found at his place, he said it was given to him by the victims’ mothers as his remuneration for the treatment. The mothers of two victims had got two rented flats for Hasan and they would pay his rent. Moreover, he would be paid Rs 7,000 each by the two mothers every month,” said a police source.

At Tanki chawl in Kalyan, Hasan had not paid the Rs 500 rent since the last two months. The 100 sq ft room belongs to a bed-ridden 70-year-old widow. She told the police that Hasan had not visited her for the last two months and not paid rent for the same period. “She was in a state of shock when we told her about his crime. She told us that Hasan was an introvert,” the officer said. The police are now examining if Hasan had maintained any bank accounts.

The money recovered by the police


The Times of India, December 1, 2010

4 held, 13.6 L in fake currency seized

LID OFF RACKET

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested four persons for possessing and circulating counterfeit currency. The sleuths recovered fake currency with a face value of Rs 13.6 lakh from the arrested accused.

The suspects have been identified as Samid Shaikh (35), Dildar Haadi (45), Raifqul Raisuddin (23) and Pratap Chaudhury (24). While Haadi hails from Delhi, the other three are natives of Kolkata.

The accused have told the interrogators that they procured fake notes from one Gulam Murtuza, a Kolkata resident. Murtuza is a repeat offender and had been arrested thrice earlier for distributing counterfeit currency.
“Murtuza used to travel to Bangladesh thrice a month to get fake notes. He would pay Rs 32 for a fake note of Rs 100 denomination. He then sold the same to the arrested group for Rs 36 and the group in turn sold it to the distributors for Rs 40,” said ATS chief Rakesh Maria.

Raisuddin is a contract labourer in Nalasopara who even paid his employees in fake currency. “Raisuddin and Chaudhury are the main suppliers in Maharashtra,” said Maria.


The Times of India, December 1, 2010

Phones & SIM cards of LeT accused under lens

RECRUITING DRIVE: The accused were picked up at Sun City Bar and Restaurant in Thane

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The two Kashmiri terror suspects— Shareef Thakkar (33) and Ishaque Kunblakh (29) who were arrested by the ATS on November 15—tried to indoctrinate several oil tanker drivers and recruit them into the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), said Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) officials. Besides recruiting new members, ATS chiefs said the accused were also laying the ground for a terror attack in Mumbai and had done a reconnaissance of several military installations, railway stations like Mumbai Central and other sensitive buildings. The mobile phones and SIM cards belonging to the duo have been confiscated.

ATS chief Rakesh Maria, said, “We have seized two mobile phones and several SIM cards from the accused. The phones have been sent for forensic analysis to find out if the duo took pictures of sensitive installations.” It is, however, highly unlikely that they were able to enter military zones, said investigators. In fact, when asked whether Thakkar and Kunblakh could have breached defence areas, ATS chief Rakesh Maria said, “They did not have inside access to these military installations, but we believe they did the reconnaissance from outside.”

Maria added that the duo’s main job besides reconnaissance was allegedly to identify the potential members and recruit him into the LeT. “Their focus was military installations in Mumbai and Pune,” said Maria. As they were working as oil tanker drivers with a Thane-based transport company the police are also investigating their colleagues. “We will be conducting a census of oil tanker drivers who had met or been approached by either Thakkar or Kunblakh,” said Maria, adding, “We are in touch with the transport companies and asked them to furnish the details about all those who had contact with the accused.”

The police claim that the duo had in fact attempted to indoctrinate several drivers. “Some of them had even agreed to go for terror training in Pakistan. We have identified such drivers and recorded their statements,” said Maria. They were looking for drivers who were well-versed with oil and road installations.

Lashkar’s Mumbai Connection

THE ACCUSED
Shareef Thakkar (33) and Ishaque Kunblakh (29) hail from the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. They worked as oil tanker drivers for a Thane transport company, N N Sons. Their monthly salary was Rs 4,500 each

They have also stayed at Silvasa and Vapi in Gujarat and Talasari in Maharashtra

The Juhu unit of the ATS arrested the duo on November 15 on charges of possessing two 7.65 mm Tokarev pistols and several rounds of ammunition

They were picked up at Sun City Bar and Restaurant in Thane where they had gone to meet a friend

FIRST BRUSH WITH TERROR
Kunblakh’s cousin, Ayyub, was killed in a police encounter in Jammu and Kashmir a few years ago. Police believe Kunblakh began interacting with militants around that time

RECRUITING AND RECONNAISSANCE
On November 21, six days after their arrest the ATS learnt of their association with the banned outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba

Investigators believe that the duo not only recruited for the terrorist organization but were also laying the ground for a terror attack in Mumbai The ATS seized 2 mobilephones and several SIM cards from the duo. The phones have been sent to the forensic analysis lab to find out if pictures of other sensitive installations were taken. The police believe the SIM cards were issued from J&K

They were asked to identify potential oil tanker drivers and recruit them for the LeT. ATS officers believe that So far they have tried to indoctrinate several drivers

The two were given the responsibility of doing reconnaissance of military installations in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad. It is believed that were also sent to gather information on oil installations at Rajasthan and Gujarat, and relay it their handlers in Pakistan and Kashmir

They also did a reconnaissance of Mumbai Central railway station

They were in constant touch with their handlers in Pakistan and Kashmir

They were planning to leave for a terror camp in Pakistan, but were arrested before they could leave Maharashtra, say ATS investigators

The Times of India, December 1, 2010

Phones & SIM cards of LeT accused under lens

RECRUITING DRIVE: The accused were picked up at Sun City Bar and Restaurant in Thane

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The two Kashmiri terror suspects— Shareef Thakkar (33) and Ishaque Kunblakh (29) who were arrested by the ATS on November 15—tried to indoctrinate several oil tanker drivers and recruit them into the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), said Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) officials. Besides recruiting new members, ATS chiefs said the accused were also laying the ground for a terror attack in Mumbai and had done a reconnaissance of several military installations, railway stations like Mumbai Central and other sensitive buildings.

The mobile phones and SIM cards belonging to the duo have been confiscated.

ATS chief Rakesh Maria, said, “We have seized two mobile phones and several SIM cards from the accused. The phones have been sent for forensic analysis to find out if the duo took pictures of sensitive installations.” It is, however, highly unlikely that they were able to enter military zones, said investigators. In fact, when asked whether Thakkar and Kunblakh could have breached defence areas, ATS chief Rakesh Maria said, “They did not have inside access to these military installations, but we believe they did the reconnaissance from outside.”

Maria added that the duo’s main job besides reconnaissance was allegedly to identify the potential members and recruit him into the LeT. “Their focus was military installations in Mumbai and Pune,” said Maria. As they were working as oil tanker drivers with a Thane-based transport company the police are also investigating their colleagues. “We will be conducting a census of oil tanker drivers who had met or been approached by either Thakkar or Kunblakh,” said Maria, adding, “We are in touch with the transport companies and asked them to furnish the details about all those who had contact with the accused.”

The police claim that the duo had in fact attempted to indoctrinate several drivers. “Some of them had even agreed to go for terror training in Pakistan. We have identified such drivers and recorded their statements,” said Maria. They were looking for drivers who were well-versed with oil and road installations.


Lashkar’s Mumbai Connection

THE ACCUSED
Shareef Thakkar (33) and Ishaque Kunblakh (29) hail from the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. They worked as oil tanker drivers for a Thane transport company, N N Sons. Their monthly salary was Rs 4,500 each

They have also stayed at Silvasa and Vapi in Gujarat and Talasari in Maharashtra

The Juhu unit of the ATS arrested the duo on November 15 on charges of possessing two 7.65 mm Tokarev pistols and several rounds of ammunition

They were picked up at Sun City Bar and Restaurant in Thane where they had gone to meet a friend

FIRST BRUSH WITH TERROR
Kunblakh’s cousin, Ayyub, was killed in a police encounter in Jammu and Kashmir a few years ago. Police believe Kunblakh began interacting with militants around that time

RECRUITING AND RECONNAISSANCE
On November 21, six days after their arrest the ATS learnt of their association with the banned outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba

Investigators believe that the duo not only recruited for the terrorist organization but were also laying the ground for a terror attack in Mumbai

The ATS seized 2 mobilephones and several SIM cards from the duo. The phones have been sent to the forensic analysis lab to find out if pictures of other sensitive installations were taken.

The police believe the SIM cards were issued from J&K

They were asked to identify potential oil tanker drivers and recruit them for the LeT. ATS officers believe that So far they have tried to indoctrinate several drivers

The two were given the responsibility of doing reconnaissance of military installations in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad. It is believed that were also sent to gather information on oil installations at Rajasthan and Gujarat, and relay it their handlers in Pakistan and Kashmir

They also did a reconnaissance of Mumbai Central railway station

They were in constant touch with their handlers in Pakistan and Kashmir

They were planning to leave for a terror camp in Pakistan, but were arrested before they could leave Maharashtra, say ATS investigators

The Times of India, December 1, 2010