ISI behind planting explosives

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, APRIL 13. Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) involvement in the killing of the jeweller, Mahaveer Prasad Modi, and planting of explosives at several places in the twin cities has been established with the arrest of four persons. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out investigation of the case and unearthing the ISI's network in the State.

Disclosing details at a press conference here on Thursday, the Director-General of Police (DGP), Mr. H.J. Dora, said a special cell, headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector-General of Police (IGP), would carry out detailed investigations. In the next three months a chargesheet would be filed against all those arrested in this connection and their cases would be tried in the special court.

With the joint efforts of various wings of the city police and State intelligence, the killers of the jeweller could be nabbed, he said. The quartet arrested were Syed Mukhtar Ahmed alias Shafeeq, Abdullah Baghdadi, Mohammed Mujahid and Abdul Wasay, all aged between 18 years and 22 years. They were indoctrinated into the ideology of Indian Muslim Mohammadi Mujahiuddin (IMMM), floated by the slain terrorist, Mohd. Azam Ghouri. Mr. Dora said IMMM was directly working under the command of Lashker-e-Toiba (LET), a terrorist outfit of the ISI.

Investigations revealed that at least 30 young persons were trained by Azam Ghouri to carry out terrorist activities in the State and the bordering areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka. As per the plans, Mahaveer Prasad was targeted by the IMMM and the four-member team headed by Shafique carried out the murder on April 6. The culprits had confessed that they had twice carried out recce of the jeweller's shop at Siddiamber Bazar before executing the plan. Shafique shot dead the jeweller and then escaped on a scooter driven by Mohdammed Mujahid. All four of them later stayed overnight in a religious place at Hashmabad in the old city. The DGP said the IMMM activists were misusing the hospitality provided at religious places. The quartet also confessed their involvement in the killing of Devender, owner of a medical shop at Saidabad, in November last.

He said the IMMM activists under the leadership of Azam Ghouri had established a good communication network through e-mail, mobile phones, telephone booth operators and Internet operators in several towns of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and bordering areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Mr. Dora said the State police had been in search of Azam Ghouri for the last six to seven years. Azam Ghouri, hailing from Warangal, initially joined the People's War Group. But he quit the PWG and went to Saudi Arabia wherein he developed LET contacts. Later, he proceeded to Afghanistan, where he was trained in terrorist activities and he also visited Pakistan.

On return to India with some arms and ammunition, he went underground and floated IMMM. He started indoctrinating boys by conducting training classes, besides supplying provocative material such as cassettes of Moulana Masood Azhar, an international terrorist. He was preparing them to launch `Jehad' on a long-term basis.

The DGP said the Nizamabad district police, on a tip-off, had sent a special team to Karimnagar to trace Azam Ghouri. He was traced at Jagityal on April 6, and the police had to shoot him down when he attacked the police and made a vain bid to escape. The same night Shafique and his team had killed the jeweller and when they came to know about the death of Azam Ghouri they immediately informed one Abu Ayyub of it over the e-mail, the latter in turn sent a reply asking them to provide more information about the incident. The police got hold of the e-mail message and were trying to trace out Abu Ayyub.

During the arrest of the quartet the police seized one Chinese- made pistol with seven live rounds, pipe-bombs, detonators, other explosive materials and accessories, e-mail correspondence made within and outside the country and newspaper cuttings carrying photo and reports about Azam Ghouri's killing.

Mr. Dora said the special cell would investigate IMMM's network within the State, bordering areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka and also with militant outfits in Kashmir and Pakistan.

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