The Hindu : National : Azamgarh district under scanner

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Sunday, Sep 21, 2008
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Azamgarh district under scanner

Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW: The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh police is in touch with the Delhi Police after two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists were shot dead in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar locality and one of their accomplices, Saif Ahmad, was arrested.

The trio’s connection with Azamgarh district (they belonged to Sarjanpur village under the Sarai Meer police station area) in eastern U.P. has spurred the ATS into action.

The ADG, Law and Order and STF, Brij Lal, said the ATS was coordinating with the Delhi police and had launched its own investigation into the Azamgarh angle to the recent serial bombings in the capital. He said the ATS team would go to Delhi once Saif Ahmad was taken on remand. Investigating agencies feel that Ahmad is privy to some vital information regarding the Indian Mujahideen terror network in U.P. Mr. Lal said a close vigil was being kept on Azamgarh.

Three youths released

In a related development, three youths picked up by the Crime Branch of Delhi police from Bijnor on September 18, for their alleged involvement in the Delhi bomb blasts were released on Saturday. Mr. Lal confirmed that the three were questioned by the Delhi police team.

While senior police officers remained silent, intelligence sources said some youths had accompanied Atif alias Mohammad Bashir — killed in the shootout on Friday — from Sarjanpur village to Delhi. One of them was Habib, who is reported to have escaped from the scene of Friday’s shootout. Habib is said to be a key functionary of Indian Mujahideen, who undertook commando training in the recent past and is said to be an explosive expert.

Though it is not certain whether Habib too belongs to Sarjanpur village, the possibility of him being from some other village under the Sarai Meer police station area has not been ruled out by the police agencies.

Atif alias Bashir, son of a cloth merchant based in Bhiwandi (Maharashtra) was a B.Tech student of Jamia Millia Islamia University. Sajed, the other Indian Mujahideen terrorist killed by the Delhi police on Friday, is the son of a medical practitioner, who runs a clinic in Sarai Meer qasbah.

Saif Ahmad, the Indian Mujahideen operative, who was reportedly injured in the shootout, is an M.A. from Purvanchal University, Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh). He left for Delhi on July 10, purportedly to pursue an English-speaking course for computer training. He was staying with Atif.

Last month, a Muslim cleric, Abul Bashar Qasmi, who is the main suspect in the Ahmedabad bomb blasts, was picked up by the Gujarat police from Beena Para village, about 5 km from Sarai Meer.

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