MUMBAI: The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai police says there is strong evidence that an Imam of the Haj House in Mumbai, who was arrested last Saturday, was in contact with one of the commanders of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Ghulam Elahi Yahya Baksh's arrest is based on solid evidence and not merely the fact that he provided accommodation to one of the three suspected terrorists arrested in Mumbai on January 6, said Joint Commissioner of Police, ATS, K.P. Raghuvanshi. The Imam leads the prayers at the Haj House and has been a resident of Mumbai for over a decade. His arrest has shocked the community, while many voluntary organisations have voiced protests.

The ATS, which has made all four arrests, says it has concrete evidence of the links of the Imam and the other three with LeT. Mr. Raghuvanshi said police are tracing his origins in West Bengal. The Imam was arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, which was used in Mumbai for the first time.

Remanded to custody

On January 6, the ATS arrested three persons from the Nagpada area in South Mumbai and seized 20 detonators, five timers, a revolver and some electronic circuits. They were identified as Khursheed Ahmed (29) and Mohammed Ramzan Abdul Kazi, both residents of Baramulla and Arshad Ghulam (27) of Sopore. Khursheed Ahmed is wanted by the Kashmir police in a case of a bank robbery and a blast.

The three have been remanded to police custody till January 20.

Mr. Raghuvanshi said the Kashmir police were expected to take custody of the three shortly. After interrogating them, the police got to know the Imam's role, who arranged accommodation for Kazi at Haj House.

Though LeT does not have a base in Mumbai, the arrests reveal they may have been in the process of setting up one.

The police are now questioning the Imam for information on explosives suspected to have been sent to Mumbai.

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