Mumbai denies threat. The chief of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Vineet Agrawal, has said categorically that no recce has been done in Mumbai, nor any weapons or explosives were found in the wake of the busting of a terror module by the Special Cell of Delhi Police.
“We keep getting terror alerts. But as far as this case is concerned, Mumbai and Maharashtra are safe,” the ATS chief told mediapersons.
Agrawal’s comments came a day after the Delhi Police nabbed six persons, including one Jaan Mohammed Shaikh (47) of Mumbai, in an anti-terror operation, sparking concerns in the country’s commercial capital.
“Shaikh took a train from Mumbai Central for Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi on September 13. He was arrested by a Delhi Police team from Kota in Rajasthan on Tuesday,” Agrawal told mediapersons.
He added that the Maharashtra ATS is coordinating with the Delhi Police in this regard and a team will leave from here for the national capital later on Wednesday to take the custody of Shaikh for his interrogation by the police here.
“We have asked for a copy of the FIR from the Delhi Police to know more about the case. We want to know the exact conspiracy. We will also share whatever information we have with the Delhi Police,” Agrawal said.
The Mumbai Police have also questioned Shaikh’s family members who live in the Sion area of Dharavi, and the police are already aware of his old crime records in Mumbai, he said.
The accused has 20-year-old connections with absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and worked as his henchman here. He was also involved in crimes like assault and firing, which are registered with the Pydhonie police station.
Shaikh was jobless before he bought a taxi and was paying the EMI for it. He was said to be under financial stress.
To a query, Agrawal said that the Central intelligence agencies did not issue any alert to Maharashtra Police or the ATS in this matter.
“Then how is it an ‘intelligence failure’ on our part? The case is of Delhi Police and they have all the rights to make arrests,” the ATS chief said.
Earlier, Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil had said that there is “no intel failure” and the state government will cooperate fully with the Delhi Police in this “extremely sensitive case”.
His comments came after a high-level review meeting with DGP Sanjay Pandey, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, the ATS chief and others, following which he gave a detailed briefing to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered high alert in the state following the arrest of four more members of an ISI-backed terrorist module involved in a bid to blow up an oil tanker with an IED tiffin bomb last month, making it the fourth case of a Pakistani terror module being busted in the state in the past 40 days.
Two Pakistan-based men, including a Pakistani intelligence officer, have also been identified and booked in the case, in which one person was arrested earlier, DGP Dinkar Gupta disclosed on Wednesday.
Taking serious note of the increased attempts by terror groups to disturb peace, the Chief Minister has directed the police to be on high alert, particularly in view of schools and educational institutions reopening, as well as the festival season and the Assembly polls ahead.
He has asked the DGP to ensure high level of security arrangements, especially in busy places, such as markets etc, as well as at sensitive installations across the state.
Giving details of the arrests, the DGP also identified International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode, alias Baba, a native of Rode village in Moga district, who is currently based in Pakistan, and Pakistani intelligence official Qasim as being behind the terror module.
Those arrested on Tuesday have been identified as Rubal Singh, Vicky Bhutti, Malkeet Singh and Gurpreet Singh.
While Rubal, also wanted in a murder case of September 1, was picked up from Haryana’s Ambala around 5 p.m., the other three were nabbed from their villages in Ajnala, and Amritsar. Their fifth accomplice, Gurmukh Brar, was arrested earlier by Kapurthala police, on August 20.
The DGP said Qasim, and Rode had promised to transfer over Rs 2 lakh to the terrorist module for carrying out the blast.
Investigations into the financial aspects are also being carried to unravel the money trail, he added.
Rubal and Vicky Bhutti were in touch with Qasim, who was working in close collaboration with Rode. Rode and Qasim had reportedly tasked the four members of a terrorist module to blast an oil tanker for causing maximum damage to people and property.
The terror attempt was made on August 8, when, at about 11.30 p.m., the Ajnala police received information that an oil tanker parked at Sharma Filling Station Ajnala, located on the Amritsar-Ajnala Road near Bhakha Tara Singh village had caught fire. (IANS)