Clueless ATS summons Laila’s father

Starlet Laila Khan

Mateen Hafeez & Bharati Dubey TNN

Mumbai: The state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) summoned actor Laila Khan’s father Nadir Patel and recorded his statement, even as it remained clueless about her mysterious disappearance over a year ago. Laila’s disappearance came under police and ATS radar after alleged links between her and some terror suspects surfaced.
 

    Laila’s closeness with suspected LeT militant Parvez Iqbal Tak and discovery of a Mitsubishi Outlander, registered in her mother Saleena Patel’s name, at Parvez’s rented shop led the ATS to probe the terror link. The vehicle was used for ferrying explosives for the Delhi high court bomb blasts.
 

    But ATS is not convinced about the terror connection and is now looking at the property angle. “We have not got any evidence so far to prove that she had links with terror outfits. It is possible that someone used her for getting money or for some other purpose,” apolice officer said.
 

    Meanwhile, Nadir, after recording his statement, also appealed to the Mumbai police commissioner and the chief minister to expedite the search for his missing daughter and other family members. Laila, her mother, sister Azmina, stepfather Asif Shaikh and a brother left Mumbai together in February 2011 in the Outlander to Kishtwar but the J&K police said they never reached the destination. Her father also dismissed rumours that she was in Dubai.
 

    The Outlander was allegedly gifted by Afghan Khan who is a friend of Parvez. The ATS questioned Afghan, too, and has now called Rakesh Sawant, director of movie Wafa, in which she had acted.
 

    “Asif and Parvez have gone missing. Asif has the keys to the Mira Road house. I have written to the housing society not to allow anyone to enter the house and if anyone is spotted, to report to the police immediately,” Nadir said, adding he has also provided the ATS with Parvez’s phone numbers and some photos.

The Times of India, June 9, 2012

Laila’s father fears the worst for her

Mateen Hafeez & Bharati Dubey TNN

Mumbai/New Delhi: Even as police from different states and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad continues to search for actor Laila Khan,whohasbeen missing since February 2011, her father Nadir Patel fears the worst. “My daughter is not in Dubai.Isuspecttheworst,” Laila’sfather Nadir PateltoldTOI.
 

    Laila, whose original name is Reshma Patel, was last seen in a movie Wafa with Rajesh Khanna. But her mysterious disappearance from Mumbai in February 2011 and subsequent probes found she had questionable connections. The last call records of her mobile phonethatthe policehavebeen abletoobtain showher location as Nashik. Laila had a farm house at Igatpuri and the ATS is probing whether it was used for any anti-national activity.
 

    The ATS had sent a team to Igatpuri to gather information and check on her farm house that caught fire sometime ago. “It will be too early to say if the bungalow was set on fire to destroy any evidence,” the officer said. The Igatpuri police, who visited the spot, are likely to sendthesamplefrom theburnt rooms to forensic labs to find outif thefirewasdeliberate.
 

    “Wehavefoundoutthatshe usedher mobile phonein Nashik for the last time in February last year. Since then, the phone is switched off. There were reports abouther presencein Dubai but we are doubtful about it,” said Gareeb Das, DIG (Doda-Ramban range).
 

    But her father said Laila was not it Dubai. “I have also told the police that Parvez Tak and another person Asif Sheikh are behind her disappearance.Ihavebeen toldthat a friend of Parvez has been held and soon he will also be picked up,” hesaid.
 

    Sources said Laila had become close to a suspected LeT militant Parvez Iqbal Tak through a Bangladesh-based terrorist Munir Khan, whom she allegedly married. Laila’s role in Delhi high court blasts came into picture after reports that a Mitsubishi Outlander that was in her mother’s name Saleena Patel and used for ferrying the explosives for the blasts was found in Parvez’s rentedshop.
 

    The intelligence agencies apprehend that like another wanted man in Delhi high court blasts, Junaid Akram Malik, Laila may have been killedin Kishtwar.NIAsources confirmed a month agothatJunaidhaddied.
 

    The J&K police denied that Laila along with her friends had done a reconnaissance of Mumbai and compiled a list of places and maps. ATS officers in Mumbai said Laila, her mother, sister Azmina Patel, stepfather Asif Shaikh and a brother left Mumbai together. Thefamily usedthisOutlander (MH02-AY-7867) to reach Kishtwar but the J&K police said they never reachedthere.
 

    J&K police’s Das said they suspected Tak’s hand in her disappearance. “Takhadcalled them toKishtawar andwaslast seen with them.” The ATS, meanwhile, is trying to figure out the terror connection. “We have sent a team to J&K,” ATS chief RakeshMaria said.
 (With inputs from Dwaipayan Ghosh)
 

 

WHO IS LAILA KHAN? L aila Khan, whose original name is Reshma Patel, has worked in several Pakistani and a couple of Hindi films. She starred in movie Wafa with Rajesh Khanna that was released in 2008. Rakesh Sawant, who directed Laila in Wafa, said the last time he spoke to her was in January 2011. Sawant suspects Laila was involved with some anti-national activities. “When I went to her Igatpuri house to celebrate the release of my film Wafa, I was shocked to see gun-totting men.” Sawant fears the worst for Laila. 

 

THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE
• Laila Khan went missing with her family in February 2011

• A missing complaint was filed at Oshiwara police station

• J&K police seize car which is suspected to have been used for ferrying explosives that was used in 2011 Delhi HC bomb blasts

• The car belonged to Laila and was gifted to her by a friend

• Police in search of Laila’s friend Parvez Tak

• Laila’s mobile phone records show her last location as Nashik

The Times of India, June 8, 2012

ATS: 13/7 hawala operator used illegal SIM cards

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Investigators probing the 13/7 triple blasts have learnt that Delhi-based hawala operator Kanwalnayan Pathrija not only transferred funds for the bombings, but also used three SIM cards obtained on fake documents. The SIM cards were from a set of cards provided to members of Indian Mujahideen (IM).
 

    According to the chargesheet filed by the ATS, suspected Pakistani bombers Waqqas Shaikh and Tabrez alias Danish, arrested accused Naquee Ahmed and Nadeem Akhtar and wanted accused Tehseen Shaikh and Muzaffar Kola had used SIM cards which were obtained using forged documents. “Pathrija (42) used three such SIM cards,” said an ATS officer. “We have obtained the call detail records of these SIMs.”
 

    “The arrested and the wanted accused...resorted to the usage of used mobile phones for communication by using SIM cards which were obtained on forged documents,” the ATS chargesheet states.
    Pathrija was nabbed on January 31 for allegedly delivering Rs 10 lakh to IM leader Yasin Bhatkal. The money was allegedly used to execute the blasts.
 

    The ATS chargesheet also mentions that the DNA of a woman was found in Byculla’s Habib Mansion, the building where the suspected bombers had stayed. “It is likely that a family stayed in the room before the bombers rented it. Our probe has so far not revealed the involvement of a woman, ” the officer added.

The Times of India, June 6, 2012

Chargesheet delay leads to bail for blast accused

MALEGAON CASE

Rebecca Samervel & Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Lokesh Sharma, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, was granted bail by a special MCOCA court on Tuesday after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) failed to file the chargesheet within the stipulated 90-day period. Special judge Y D Shinde granted bail to the suspected RSS worker, Sharma, on a personal bond of Rs 25000 after the 90-day period after his arrest lapsed on May 28. He will however continue to remain behind bars for his alleged involvement in two other blast cases.
 

    This is the first case in the recent past when a police agency failed to file the chargesheet in a terror case resulting in bail given to the accused. His lawyer Aarti Bhide said, “The bail application was filed on Tuesday. The NIA did not seek an extension to file the chargesheet.” Earlier, the court had granted bail to two other accused; Shamlal Sahu and Shivnarayan Kalsangra, in the Malegaon blast case. 

 
    On February 27, the NIA arrested Sharma who was in judicial custody for his alleged role in the Samjhauta Express blast that killed 70 people in 2007. The special court had issued a production warrant against him on February 23. 

    He was first held in 2010 and booked for his alleged role in the Ajmer dargah blast and later in the Samjhauta train blast case and the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad. Sharma’s name cropped up while the police began interrogating other accused arrested in the Samjhauta blast case. Along with Sharma the NIA had charged Swami Aseemanand, Sadhvi Pragya, Sandeep Dange, Ramchandra Kalasangra alias Ramji and another accused now deceased, Sunil Joshi, for triggering the explosions in the train. 

    Earlier, on January 21, 2009, a chargesheet was filed against other accused in the Malegaon bomb blast case. Six people were killed and 101 were injured in the September 29, 2008, Malegaon bomb blasts. 

 

 

The Times of India, June 6,2012

Pak bomber helped 13/7 accused steal vehicles: Police

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Investigations into the triple bombings on July 13 last year have revealed that suspected Pakistani bomber Waqqas had helped his co-accused steal two Activa scooters from Grant Road and V P Road areas a day before the explosions. Waqqas is believed to have planted the bomb at Opera House. 

    Last week, the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested NaqiAhmed andNadeem Akhtar for stealing two bikes and two Activa scooters. In its chargesheet, the ATS said that Waqqas had accompanied Ahmed and Akhtar when they went to steal the vehicles. Waqqas is a wanted accused in the case and may be charged with abetting the theft. While the bombers planted a bomb in one of the scooters and left it in Zaveri Bazar, the other scooter was used by the bombers to go to Opera House.
 

    According tosources, Waqqas had joined a gym in Byculla and went there regularly to work out. “He stayed in a rented room in Habib Mansion in Byculla for almost nine months with the other suspected Pakistani bomber, Tabrez. Waqqas also participated in assembling of the bomb in the rented room. On the day of the blasts, Waqqas and Tabrez went to Opera House on one of the stolen scooters around 1.30pm andtheformer planted the bomb there near a hawker. The bomb was not fitted into this scooter,” said a source.
 

    The forensic analysis of a computer recovered from the rented room revealed that Waqqas and Tabrez, along withtheother accused,had relied on the internet to keep tabs on the probe.
    

Images related to blasts in Mumbai and Pune’s German Bakery were also found on the hard disc. A photo of Yasin Bhatkal, releasedby the police during the probe, was also recovered from the computer.

The Times of India, June 5, 2012

13/7 accused surfed web to know terror case updates

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Forensic investigations into the 13/7 blasts case revealed that the accused relied on the internet to track developments in the probe.
 

    The police found several computer files which showthatthe accusedkept regular tabs on the investigations. Pictures of the nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon serial blast cases were also found on their computer. Investigations show that the Opera House bomb was planted at 1.30pm while the explosives in Zaveri Bazar were planted at 6pm.
 

    The anti-terrorism squad, probing the triple blasts, had seized a computer and several DVDs from Habib Mansion in Byculla (E).This room was taken on rentby the arrested accused, Naqi Ahmed and Nadeem Akhtar, and was reportedly used by Indian Mujahideen leader Yasin Bhatkal andtwosuspectedPakistanibombers. 

    Analysis of the hard disk showed that the suspects had been surfing the net to read stories about various terror strikes. 

 

 

The Times of India, June 4, 2012

ISI created IM to spread terror in India: ATS

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has, for the first time, said that Indian Mujahideen (IM) is a creation of Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI). This is mentioned in the 13/7 triple blasts chargesheet. This is the first time that any police agency in the country has openly said that IM has been created by the ISI.
 

    Several police agencies had earlier said that IM was a splinter faction of the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which was banned in 2001. The IM was banned on June 2, 2010.
 

    In its 4,478-page chargesheet against the four arrested accused filed before a special MCOCA court on May 25, the ATS said, “The IM has been expressly created by (the) ISI of Pakistan ostensibly to spread terror in this country through Indian-front outfits.”
 

    In 2008, the then Gujarat DGP, P C Pande, said that IM was a splinter faction of SIMI. He had made this declaration during a media briefing after the arrest of around half-adozen suspected IM members in connection with the serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad.
 

    According to the ATS’s chargesheet, the IM is currently headed by the Bhatkal brothers, Riyaz and Iqbal, who are at present holed up in Pakistan and are involved in bomb blasts in Maharashtra and other states. “Iqbal and Riyaz operate from Pakistan with the help of their Indiabased associates,” the chargesheet states. “The triple blasts at three prime business locations in Mumbai were planned and executed by the members of IM. The sequential character of explosion indicates a meticulously planned attack to strike terror in the minds of the people of India, weaken the country economically and cause widespread damage to human life and property,” states the chargesheet.
 

    The ATS arrested four persons for last year’s serial blasts on July 13 that left 27 dead and 127 injured. “The blasts were designed and executed by the Bhatkal brothers who would contact their protege Yasin Bhatkal alias Shahrukh alias Shivanand alias Imran. Yasin is the Indian head of IM’s operations. He had received Rs 10 lakh through hawala channels to execute the blasts and had ordered the transportation of the explosives used for the blasts,” the chargesheet states.

The Times of India, June 2, 2012